5 Ways to Protect Your Children’s Identity Online

That also means kids are more vulnerable to identity theft and other nefarious online interactions (not to mention the risk of becoming zoned-out screen zombies).

The always-on nature of technology leaves overwhelmed parents tasked with the seemingly-impossible role of keeping the whole family safe online. Between gaming platforms, home computers, school computers, and mobile devices, this is a pretty tall order.

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But it’s possible to cover your bases if you take a twofold approach: helping kids understand appropriate and safe behavior, and setting up their environment so it’s easier to manage.

Here are five basic steps you can take to teach your kids important safety skills and keep an eye on things more easily:

1. Have the talk. Then have it again. Starting when they’re young, set family rules and have age-appropriate conversations about how to stay safe online while kids enjoy their favorite games and activities. Teach children what catfishing is and how to protect themselves from identity theft by not sharing personal information and photos online. Set simple rules like “keep gaming chat about the game.” Help kids recognize red flags and let them know they can always come to you if something doesn’t feel right. This isn’t just a conversation to have once—it needs to be ongoing. As they get older, the conversation can become more nuanced.
2. Visit their digital world. Get familiar with their games, apps, and social media platforms by trying them yourself or reading parental reviews. Be especially aware of apps and sites that allow users to be anonymous and feature direct messaging, video chats, and file uploads. While the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) regulates personal data collection from children, parents still need to oversee the family’s safety. Set ground rules with your kids before allowing them to download these apps or participate in these online communities, and check in with them from time to time to make sure they are protecting their identity online.
3. Arrange your home for online safety. Set up family computers and gaming systems in common areas where it’s easy to peek at what kids are doing online. For younger children, make rules about where they may watch shows and play games on tablets or other mobile devices. Once cell phones are involved this is much harder to enforce, but you can set up a family charging station in the kitchen or living room where phones go to charge by a certain time each night.
4. Monitor activity across all devices. Install a family safety app that can be used across devices to monitor activity, filter content, and create reports about what your kids are doing online. It’s up to you whether you check it frequently, set up alerts, or just leave it running in case there’s something you want to investigate. Some monitoring apps also let you set screen times limits on all devices or on individual apps and games, eliminating the daily battles at home. You can even set up location monitoring for when they’re on-the-go. And don’t be shy about telling kids that you’re keeping an eye on them. Just knowing that they’re being monitored is enough to keep some kids on best (and safest) behavior online and beyond.
5. Tend to emotional safety, too. Social media and gaming sites can be great places for teens to connect with like-minded friends. But they can also be a breeding ground for behind-the-scenes harmful interactions. According to some experts, social media can contribute to anxiety and depression in teens. When you’re talking about online safety, be sure to include things like cyberbullying and the online “culture of comparison.” Encourage kids to foster positive friendships both in person and online and disengage from (or block) mean conversations—or interactions where they’re feeling bullied into handing over their personal information. Let them know they can come to you if they ever feel like they’re in over their head.

When you teach kids to protect themselves and set up smart systems, your family can relax and fully enjoy the wide, wide world online.