Every child is taught basic
physical safety and security,
like not talking to strangers
and fastening seat belts before
driving. Teaching young people
easy-to-learn life lessons for
online safety and privacy begins
with parents leading the way.
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Share with care – What you
post can last a lifetime: Help
your children understand
that any information they
share online can easily be
copied and is almost
impossible to take back.
Teach them to consider who
might see a post and how it
might be perceived in the
future.
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Personal information is like
money. Value it. Protect
it.: Information
about your kids, such as the
games they like to play and
what they search for online,
has value – just like money.
Talk to your kids about the
value of their information
and how to be selective with
the information they provide
to apps and websites.
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Post only about others as
you would like to have them
post about you: Remind
children and family members
about the golden rule and
that it applies online as
well. What they do online
can positively or negatively
impact other people.
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Own your online presence: Start
the conversation about the
public nature of the
internet early. Learn about
and teach your kids how to
use privacy and security
settings on their favorite
online games, apps and
platforms.
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Remain positively engaged: Pay
attention to and know the
online environments your
children use. In the real
world, there are good and
bad neighborhoods, and the
online world is no
different. Help them to
identify safe and trusted
websites and apps. Encourage
them to be cautious about
clicking on, downloading,
posting and uploading
content.
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Stay current. Keep pace with
new ways to stay safe
online: Keep up
with new technology and ways
to manage privacy. Visit
staysafeonline.org or other
trusted websites for the
latest information about
ways to stay safe online.
Talk about what you
discovered with your family,
and engage them on a regular
basis to share what they
know about privacy.