Tips for protecting your kids online

Monday, October 21 marks the start of Digital Parenting Week. This week is a great opportunity for parents to reflect on how their children interact with technology and how to best protect them digitally.

As more and more of our lives shift online, worries about the negative consequences of the internet and technology have grown. For instance, over 80% of Americans are concerned with how companies collect and use their data and more than 50% of parents express strong concern about the impact of social media use on children.

There are a variety of issues for parents to be thinking about when it comes to their child’s relationship with technology and the internet, ranging from online safety and data privacy to the impact of social media on teens and their mental health. Below we offer some resources: how to think about high-tech smart toys, the impact of social media on teens, and privacy tips for all ages.

Teens and Social Media

Engaging with social media has become a part of life for nearly all teenagers, with up to 95% of teens reporting using a platform.

We know talking to your teen about social media can be hard. Sharing the following stories from our Gen Z interns about their relationship with social media may be a good starting point for a conversation with your teen.

Want to learn more about data collection by social media companies and how to limit it? Check out these guides:

Virtual Reality

Meta last year lowered the recommended age for its Quest VR headsets. But this technology and the games kids play through the app store are not always age appropriate. Read our roundup of things to think about before bringing one home:

Kids Toys

Life has become more and more digital, and that includes the toys our children play with. Electronic toys increasingly include technology like internet connections or artificial intelligence software that learns about your child and personalizes play. Smart toys may have microphones and unsecure WiFi connections that could allow a bad actor to hack the toy’s microphone to talk to your kid. Some smart toys can collect a lot of data about kids – often without parents knowing –  increasing the chances your child’s data may be exposed during a breach or hack.

Check out the following guides for safety tips and information about smart toys, VR headsets, and more:

Online privacy tips for everyone

No matter your age, protecting your online privacy is important. We recommend everyone take the time to put these protections in place for themselves:

Learn more: