Keeping Children and Youth Safe While Connected:
Online Safety Tips for Parents & Caregivers
- Carve out time each day to talk and engage with your child, as well as taking advantage of opportunities when your child is trying to communicate with you.
- Put your devices down and give them your full attention. Being present, empathic, and actively listening will show your child you care about what they have to say and will help to encourage future conversations.
- Have discussions on privacy and safety (both on and offline) on a regular basis, which will provide the needed repetition that will help children learn these important messages. Conversations on safety can begin with children as young as three years old, such as with educating about body safety.
- Use everyday opportunities to talk about your child’s online activity and show your interest. Be calm, curious and nonjudgmental, which will signal to your child that they can confide in you and can come to you when there is a problem.
- Share warning signs of online tricks or lures such as a person steering the conversation toward sexual themes, gift giving, asking to keep the relationship a secret, or trying to move the conversation to a more private application.
- Know the warning signs you can look for as a parent, such as: your child becoming secretive about their online activity, getting overly angry or upset when they can’t go online, receiving gifts or packages from someone you don’t know, or withdrawing from friends or family.
- Consider using a strengths-based approach when talking with your child to further build a positive connection and relationship.
How to Get Help or Report Suspicious Activity
If your child has experienced a traumatic event, in addition to involving law enforcement and other professionals such as your child’s pediatrician, you may wish to consider partnering with your child’s school counselor or other support professional to learn of supports available to your child from within the school.
There are many toll-free hotlines and helplines that can be contacted for help, crisis intervention, and resources.
If your child or a young person you know has been involved in a suspicious online incident, you can submit a report to:
- The Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force | 515-725-0541.
- National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)’s CyberTipline | 1-800-THE-LOST.
- Your local law enforcement agency.
- Your local FBI field office and can also do so by submitting a tip online.
Click here to download a printable PDF of this information.
- Keep computers/devices in open areas (especially for younger students).
- Set rules around cell phone/device usage (i.e., how many hours per day or no gaming until homework is complete).
- Create “device-free” times such as during dinner or an hour before bedtime.
- Model healthy device/online usage.
- Encourage healthy online habits such as setting privacy settings and never exchanging personal information, passwords, or private photos.
- Monitor online/gaming activity by setting parental controls, checking browsing history, reviewing friend lists, and possibly even considering digital monitoring software and applications.
- Have conversations with children and youth on a regular basis regarding expected behavior online. Start these conversations as soon as your child begins using a device.
- Connect with your child’s school about online safety education and seek opportunities to reinforce or extend any messaging at home.
Tips for Talking with Your Children about Online Safety
- Carve out time each day to talk and engage with your child, as well as taking advantage of opportunities when your child is trying to communicate with you.
- Put your devices down and give them your full attention. Being present, empathic, and actively listening will show your child you care about what they have to say and will help to encourage future conversations.
- Have discussions on privacy and safety (both on and offline) on a regular basis, which will provide the needed repetition that will help children learn these important messages. Conversations on safety can begin with children as young as three years old, such as with educating about body safety.
- Use everyday opportunities to talk about your child’s online activity and show your interest. Be calm, curious and nonjudgmental, which will signal to your child that they can confide in you and can come to you when there is a problem.
- Share warning signs of online tricks or lures such as a person steering the conversation toward sexual themes, gift giving, asking to keep the relationship a secret, or trying to move the conversation to a more private application.
- Know the warning signs you can look for as a parent, such as: your child becoming secretive about their online activity, getting overly angry or upset when they can’t go online, receiving gifts or packages from someone you don’t know, or withdrawing from friends or family.
- Consider using a strengths-based approach when talking with your child to further build a positive connection and relationship.
How to Get Help or Report Suspicious Activity
If your child has experienced a traumatic event, in addition to involving law enforcement and other professionals such as your child’s pediatrician, you may wish to consider partnering with your child’s school counselor or other support professional to learn of supports available to your child from within the school.
There are many toll-free hotlines and helplines that can be contacted for help, crisis intervention, and resources.
If your child or a young person you know has been involved in a suspicious online incident, you can submit a report to:
- The Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force | 515-725-0541.
- National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)’s CyberTipline | 1-800-THE-LOST.
- Your local law enforcement agency.
- Your local FBI field office and can also do so by submitting a tip online.
