Good (and bad) news travels fast online, and without some forethought, kids can find themselves in tricky situations that have lasting consequences. The solve? Learning how to share with those they know and those they don’t.

Communicate Responsibly

Encourage thoughtful sharing by treating online communication like face-to-face communication; if it isn’t right to say, it isn’t right to post.

Create guidelines about what kind of communication is (and isn’t) appropriate.

Keep personal details about family and friends private.

It’s important to help kids become aware that people and situations online aren’t always as they seem. Discerning between what’s real and what’s fake is a very real lesson in online safety.

Know the Signs of a Potential Scam

If statements about “winning” or getting something for “free” feel too good to be true, they most likely are.

Fair exchanges shouldn’t involve giving away any personal information.

Always think critically before acting online and learn to trust your intuition. Be on guard for phishing attempts—efforts to steal information like login or account details by pretending to be a trusted contact in an email, text, or other online communication.

Personal privacy and security are just as important online as they are offline. Safeguarding valuable information means thinking about what’s incoming and outgoing and being smart about passwords, the information you share, and understanding the choices you have when it comes to protecting your privacy online.

Create a Strong Password

Make it memorable, but avoid using personal information like names or birthdays.

Use a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers.