Your kids probably love being online from the time they wake up until they go to sleep to learn about their favorite animals, play games, watch videos, and chat with their friends. But the internet comes with its share of dangers, so it’s important that you know how to keep your kids safe online.
By teaching your kids about internet safety, you can:
- Build a safe, productive online environment for them
- Protect them from cyberbullying and scammers
- Teach them how to keep their sensitive information private
- Help them find age-appropriate sites and apps
- Set clear boundaries and expectations for internet use
While it’s impossible to protect your children from every potential online threat, you can give them the tools they need to make good choices and keep themselves safe.
Why internet safety for children is more important than ever
As an adult, you may be familiar with the internet’s risks, including cyberbullying and scams. These dangers can be even more prevalent for kids, who are often easy targets for negative online behavior.
Kids can be exposed to:
- Online bullying
- Material that encourages harmful behavior (eating disorders, hate speech, dangerous trends)
- Information that impacts their mental health, contributing to low self-esteem
- Excessive use, which can affect grades, sleep habits, and personal relationships
And while there are kid-friendly spaces online, there’s a ton of adult content that’s inappropriate for kids.
As a parent, you want to ensure your children stay on the right side of the internet while also teaching them how to avoid harmful content when they browse independently. It starts with teaching them good online habits.
Teaching children good online habits
Kids need to understand that the internet is a tool, and how they use it makes a big difference. Start by setting boundaries around what kinds of sites and apps your kids can use.
In the beginning, it’s a good idea to only allow kid-friendly apps and channels that are heavily moderated. Use software that provides parental oversight to help maintain a secure environment.
Even with controls, you still want to be proactive, so join your child as they enjoy screen time. This is a great time for bonding and also helps establish boundaries and reduce the chance of your child having a negative interaction.
Other helpful tips include:
- Teach them to ask permission before exploring new websites or content creators – This lets you vet the content ahead of time and quickly identify any red flags.
- Have a conversation about online privacy – Discuss with your kids how online communication can put them at risk, especially when sharing personal information. If your child uses any sites that allow them to make their own posts or send messages, make sure they know what kind of information they need to keep private, such as personal details and passwords.
- Limit time spent online – Think about how much screen time makes sense for your child. Kids should maintain a healthy balance of time online and face-to-face interactions with others. When your child reaches their limit, be prepared to offer them alternative activities, such as going outside, drawing, or playing a game.
If your child does come across inappropriate material or behavior online, tell them to first stop engaging. Next, they can screenshot the material. Let them know it’s important that they show you or another trusted adult to report the activity to the site or authorities, if needed.
Some experts recommend a family media plan to set screen-free zones (bedrooms and bathrooms), times without devices (before bedtime), and age-appropriate content guidelines.1
With the right plan in place, you can better manage your child’s time online.
How to monitor and manage your child’s internet usage
Giving your child a positive online experience means balancing independence with parental involvement. Ultimately, the goal is to set healthy boundaries and positive online behaviors for your child when they first start using the internet. This can help them make smart choices later on their own.
Start by using parental control tools that help you curate their online experiences. Our family safety app makes it possible for you to create safe digital spaces for your kids to learn, grow, and develop their online habits. With these tools, you can:
- Set up content filters and safe browsing options that are designed to identify and hide inappropriate words, images, and more.
- Use a block list to prevent your child from accessing certain sites, or set your child’s device to only allow access to sites and apps that you proactively choose.
- Adjust your settings as they grow up, so you can offer age-appropriate monitoring while still fostering their curiosity and individuality.
You can also monitor your child’s internet use through screen time trackers. These trackers provide you with information about how long your child uses certain apps or visits certain websites.
Use the trackers to set limits on your child’s phone, which lock them out of a certain app or category of apps after they use their allotted time. Setting up these types of cell phone rules for kids can keep them safe from online threats.
If you’re interested in device monitoring but don’t know where to start, discover the best apps for kids’ devices.
Social media safety tips for children and parents
For many young people, social media is their favorite way to socialize. Outside of school, social media is where many teens make friends and connect. Many younger kids may also want to make friends online, but it takes a certain maturity level to navigate social media successfully.
It’s important for you to decide when your kids are old enough to create an account. Most major platforms (including Facebook and Instagram) require users to be at least 13 before they can join. This can help keep younger, more impressionable kids from seeing inappropriate content or interacting with the wrong people.
However, be aware that kids can misreport their ages to join these platforms, so check your kids’ accounts.
When your child first sets up their account, go through the privacy settings together. For kids, it’s best to make sure that their profiles are as private as possible. Adjust the settings so they can only accept messages from people they’ve added as friends.
Talk to your child about only connecting with people they know in real life, such as classmates and family members. Explain how people aren’t always who they appear to be online, and encourage them to stay cautious.
This is also a good time to talk to them about their digital footprint. Even if they have a private page, anything they post online can be saved, reposted, and shared by others.
Encourage them to think twice any time they post online, whether they’re sharing a photo or recounting a personal moment from their day.
Protecting children from online threats
Cyberbullies can be a serious threat, especially for kids. Learn to recognize the signs of cyberbullying so you can intervene quickly and effectively.
Here are a few warning signs to be aware of:
- Your child starts withdrawing socially
- They act upset after their time online
- They’re secretive about their online activities
- You notice sudden changes in their online activity, whether they start avoiding their devices or start using them all the time
If your child is being cyberbullied, block those accounts and report any harassment directly on the platform. It may also be best to enforce a break from social media to protect your child’s mental health.
Aside from cyberbullying, scams are another serious concern. Because kids and teens are still learning how to spot danger, they can be prime targets for online scammers who use social engineering and phishing attacks to get access to personal information.
Be proactive and talk to your kids about common scams, then remind them of the importance of not sharing their private information with anyone online.
Creating a safer online environment at home
Protecting your child online involves creating a safe, trusting, and supportive environment at home. Encourage open communication with your children about their online experiences as part of your day-to-day family conversations.
This can normalize their online experiences and make them feel more comfortable talking to you about any issues they’re having, whether they’re receiving mean comments from a bully or are concerned about messages from a stranger.
Having open, honest, and age-appropriate conversations about online activity is the key to quickly and effectively addressing any issues.
Along with the interpersonal elements of online safety, you also want your network and devices to be safe and secure. A secure network is critical for keeping your data protected and warding off hackers.
For this, it’s critical to choose the best internet provider to support your connection, then bolster your safety with firewalls and antivirus tools. Regularly update all your internet security systems to ensure they’re always in working order.
If you’re still on the fence about getting your child their own internet-connected device, consider their maturity level, how responsible they are in taking care of their belongings, their impulse control, and their safety awareness.
As the parent, it’s up to you to decide when your child is ready for a device—and what safeguards you’ll use to help keep them safe online.
Next steps for ensuring your child’s online safety
When it comes to how to keep your kids safe online, build healthy internet habits, set boundaries, use parental controls and monitoring tools, talk about privacy, and normalize open discussions.
Ensuring your child has the right kid-friendly family device can also enhance security. By choosing one of our smartphones or tablets with helpful parental controls, you can set up safeguards to keep your children on the right track.
And, because you can decide which monitoring apps and safety restrictions you need, you can effortlessly create a kid-friendly online experience that works for your child and grows with them.
Check out our secure network and devices today to make online safety a priority for your home and family.
1 “Teen Screen Time in 2025: What Every Parent Needs to Know Now,” Child Therapy Center of Los Angeles, accessed March 2, 2026, https://www.childtherapycenterla.com/post/teen-screen-time-in-2025-what-every-parent-needs-to-know-now.
