As parents, it’s already hard enough to protect your kids from real-world problems, but now we also have to think about cyber bullies, hackers, scammers, and AI deepfakes. The good news? With just a few simple changes, you can teach the necessary child cyber safety tips your kids need to stay safe online, both now and in the future.
A lot of what I’m going to share with you here isn’t being done by most parents today. And while we’ll just scratch the surface in this article, I’ve created a free child safety checklist for parents that goes deeper and can help you implement everything more effectively.
Now let’d take a deeper dive into the 7 key steps for child cyber safety.
- 1. Freeze Your Child’s Credit
- 2. Teach Kids to Use a Password Manager
- 3. Set Up a Personal Email Account
- 4. Lock Down Personal Devices
- 5. Teach Social Media Privacy
- 6. Spot Phishing & AI Scams
- 7. Turn on Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
- Final Thoughts: Be the Example
Note: Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you, I may be compensated if you choose to use one of the services listed. I only recommend what I personally have used, and I appreciate your support!
1. Freeze Your Child’s Credit
Did you know that child identity theft is on the rise? Or maybe you didn’t even realize child identity theft was a thing?
According to recent reports, one in every 50 children have their identity stolen. Imagine turning 18 and finding out that you have hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt tied to your name.
Kids are a lucrative target for fraudsters because the damage often doesn’t get found out for years, if not a decade or more.
One solution to this problem is to freeze your child’s credit, making it much harder for fraudsters to borrow money using their identity. The good news is, this process is free.
The bad news is, it takes a bit of time and you’ll need to mail in forms with documentation to each credit bureau:
Use this as a teaching moment to explain credit, identity theft, and credit freezes to your kids.
2. Teach Kids to Use a Password Manager
Yes, your kids should have a password manager on each of their devices, and they should be using it to create strong passwords and log into all their online accounts. It’s important to teach children how to create strong passwords by including symbols, which makes their passwords more secure.
And before you say it’s too complicated to teach your kids how to use one, try this:
- Update your Netflix account with a strong, complex password;
- Store that new Netflix password in your password manager;
- Log your kid’s devices out of Netflix.
Switch “Netflix” for whatever streaming service they watch most and then wait…I promise you, they’ll figure it out fast.
We use Proton Pass as our family password manager, and I recommend their family plan. It’s a great way to create healthy online habits.
When creating passwords, remind your kids never to use the same password for multiple accounts, as this increases the risk if one account is compromised.
With our family, we have a shared vault with all the logins we use together. Kids can also have their own private vaults, or if you want to monitor their accounts, you can have them store everything in the shared vault.
The key here is: if you’re not using a password manager yourself, it’s much harder to teach your kids.
So learn together.
3. Set Up a Personal Email Account
Chances are your kid is assigned a school email, which they’ll use to log into school apps, email teachers, and send homework.
But I recommend you create a separate personal email account for each child that can be used for friend and family communication.
This teaches your kids that there are benefits to separating school and personal email. This is a simple introduction to security segregation. Kids should also be aware of what personal details they share through email, and understand the importance of not sharing sensitive information such as names, addresses, or financial data.
The personal inbox could be:
- A basic Gmail account
- A free, secure email from ProtonMail
Children should always ask for permission before signing up for new services or sharing information online. The goal here is to teach kids how to separate login emails from communication or financial accounts, a principle that adults should follow too!
Check out our secure email provider comparison for more information.
4. Lock Down Your Kid’s Personal Devices
Whether your kid has an iPad, Chromebook, iPhone, or Android device, you must set restrictions on usage.
It’s not fair to give them full, unrestricted access to devices when they haven’t yet learned self-control. Kids can easily get addicted and teaching them how to use technology responsibly is essential for their safety and development.
If you’re in the Apple ecosystem, use the built-in Screen Time settings.
If your child uses Android, download the Family Link app.
Recommended Child Device Settings
- Enable Find My Device
- Turn off all other location services
- Set screen time limits and downtime
- Block new app downloads & in-app purchases
- Monitor downloading of apps and files to avoid risks from unsafe sources
- Limit communication (recommend contacts only)
- Use a screen time passcode that’s different from the device PIN
Honestly, I’m not a big fan of how Apple and Google manage this. If you want something better, check out Qustodio. It’s paid, but easier to use and works across platforms.
When setting screen time limits, remember that using devices for extended periods can negatively affect your child’s health. Encourage regular breaks to reduce these risks.
5. Teach Your Kids Social Media Privacy
If your kid is on social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), every profile should be private. Remind them that posting personal information, photos, or messages online can have lasting consequences, as posts may remain accessible forever and could impact their future.
There are very few reasons a child should have a public-facing profile (i.e. unless they’re a public influencer), so it’s your job to make sure everything is set to private.
Here’s how to check if your kid’s social media is private:
- Copy the URL of their profile.
- Paste it into a private browser window.
- If you can see photos, posts, or “about” info, it’s not private, and something needs to change in this case.
Protecting privacy is essential for all children and teens navigating the online world.
If they’re online, they should know how to protect their privacy. If they’re not on social media yet, well done, Mom and Dad, keep it that way!
6. Spot Phishing & AI Scams
We’re now seeing threats like phishing emails and AI deepfakes at alarming rates. You should be especially cautious when clicking on links from unknown sites or websites, as they may be scams designed to steal your data or personal information.
Your kids may not be getting phishing emails now, which is good, but that also means they’re not developing the skill of spotting these kinds of messages when they come.
We want to teach kids practical safety tips and cyber safety tips to help them stay safe online, such as never sharing personal data like phone numbers or passwords through computers, phones, or on the web.
Start teaching this early:
- If you get a convincing phishing email, show it to your kids. Let them see what it looks like and have them guess how you knew it was a phishing email.
- Ask them to be a detective: “How do you know this is fake?”
- Watch YouTube videos together. My boys and I loved this one from Corridor Crew where they teach their moms to spot AI videos
It was entertaining and educational. The fun part? My boys kept thinking about how they’d teach grandma… not realizing I was actually teaching them.
In today’s world, your kids need to develop skepticism toward everything digital.
7. Turn on Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
It’s never too early to teach your kids about two-factor authentication, or 2FA.
2FA secures online accounts using more than just a username and password.
Examples include:
- A code from an authenticator app (such as Google Authenticator, Authy, or Aegis)
- A biometric device key. If an app supports fingerprint or face recognition, turn it on. If not, set a strong, unique PIN.
- Use security keys (like YubiKey) for high-risk accounts. This is how to setup a 2FA security key ( Yubikey Tutorial)
For now, a free authenticator app will do just fine. Honestly, your kids may feel like super spies typing in those rotating codes.
Final Thoughts: Be the Example
None of these cyber safety habits will be effective unless you’re doing them yourself.
So if you’re not already freezing your credit, using a password manager, or setting up 2FA, start now. You can also download the free Child Safety Checklist to ensure your child is safe.
You don’t have to be perfect. This is your chance to learn with your kids and strengthen your family’s digital security together.
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