How to keep your child safe online is an important question for every parent in today’s connected world. Children use smartphones, tablets, computers, social media, messaging apps, online games, and educational websites every day. These technologies can provide valuable opportunities to learn, communicate, and have fun, but they can also expose children to privacy, security, and social risks.
Parents don’t have to completely prevent children from using technology to help them stay safe. A better approach combines communication, privacy settings, account security, healthy technology boundaries, and age-appropriate parental controls.
This guide explains practical ways parents in the United States can help their children develop safer digital habits while gradually learning to make responsible decisions online.
Parents who understand how to keep your child safe online can make better decisions about privacy, security, communication, and technology use.
How to Keep Your Child Safe Online: 15 Practical Tips
There isn’t one setting or application that can protect a child from every online risk. Effective digital safety usually comes from several different habits working together.
Here are 15 practical steps parents can take.
1. Talk to Your Child About Online Safety
One of the most important things parents can do is create an environment where children feel comfortable talking about their online experiences.
Instead of making online safety a one-time lecture, make it an ongoing conversation.
Ask questions such as:
- What apps do you use most?
- What games do you play?
- Who do you communicate with online?
- What information do you think should stay private?
- Have you ever received a message that made you uncomfortable?
- What would you do if someone online asked you for personal information?
- Who would you contact if something went wrong?
Make sure your child knows they can come to you if something makes them uncomfortable.
A child who is worried that they will immediately lose their phone or be punished may hesitate to report a problem. Building trust can make it easier for children to ask for help.
The Federal Trade Commission recommends talking with children about their online activities and teaching them about protecting personal information.
2. Teach Your Child What Personal Information Should Stay Private
Children may not always understand how valuable personal information can be.
Teach them to be careful about sharing information such as:
- Full name
- Home address
- Phone number
- School information
- Passwords
- Account recovery information
- Financial information
- Private photographs
- Daily routines
- Real-time location
Explain that something shared online can potentially be copied, saved, or redistributed.
Children should also understand that someone they meet online may not necessarily be the person they claim to be.
A simple family rule can be:
When you’re unsure whether something is safe to share, ask a trusted adult first.
Teaching children about privacy is an important part of how to keep your child safe online.
3. Use Strong Passwords and Two-Factor Authentication
Every important online account should have a strong and unique password.
Avoid passwords based on information that other people could easily guess, such as:
- Birthdays
- Names
- School names
- Favorite sports teams
- Simple number sequences
Where available, enable two-factor authentication.
Two-factor authentication adds another verification step when someone attempts to access an account. This can provide an additional layer of security even if a password becomes compromised.
Parents should also teach children never to share passwords with friends.
Strong passwords and secure accounts are another important part of understanding how to keep your child safe online.
4. Review Privacy Settings Together
Many apps and online services provide privacy and safety settings that families can adjust.
Review settings for:
- Profile visibility
- Direct messages
- Friend requests
- Comments
- Tags
- Location sharing
- Search visibility
- Contact synchronization
- Personalized advertising
- Account discoverability
Don’t simply change every setting without explaining what it does.
Instead, review the settings together and explain why certain information should remain private.
This approach helps children develop privacy skills that they can continue using as they become more independent.
Reviewing privacy settings together gives parents another practical way to keep your child safe online while teaching children how to make better digital decisions.
5. Be Careful With Location Sharing
Modern smartphones can share location information with apps, services, and other people.
Location information can sometimes reveal:
- Where someone lives
- Where they attend school
- Where they spend time
- Where they regularly visit
- When they are away from home
Review which applications have access to your child’s location.
Ask:
Does this application actually need access to location information?
If an application doesn’t need location access for its primary purpose, consider disabling the permission.
Families that use location-sharing or family-safety technology should also establish clear expectations about when and why location information is used.
Understanding location permissions is an important part of knowing how to keep your child safe online, especially when children use smartphones every day.
6. Teach Children About Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying can happen through social media, messaging applications, group chats, online games, and other digital communities.
Possible warning signs may include:
- Suddenly avoiding a device
- Becoming upset after using a phone
- Avoiding school or social activities
- Becoming unusually secretive about online activity
- Receiving repeated unwanted messages
- Changes in mood after using social media
If your child experiences cyberbullying, encourage them not to retaliate.
Depending on the situation, parents may want to:
- Save relevant evidence.
- Block the person involved.
- Use the platform’s reporting tools.
- Talk with the school when appropriate.
- Contact another trusted adult.
- Seek additional support if the situation is serious.
Knowing how to recognize and respond to cyberbullying is an important part of how to keep your child safe online.
Related article: [Protect Your Child From Cyberbullying]
7. Review the Apps on Your Child’s Phone
Children install applications for games, communication, entertainment, education, and social networking.
Parents should periodically review the applications installed on a child’s phone.
For each application, consider:
- What does the application do?
- What information does it collect?
- Does it need access to contacts?
- Does it need location access?
- Does it need microphone access?
- Does it need photo access?
- Who can communicate with the child?
- What privacy controls are available?
- Is it appropriate for the child’s age?
You should also review the application’s privacy policy and available safety controls when appropriate.
The FTC provides guidance for parents about children’s online privacy and the collection and use of children’s personal information.
8. Set Healthy Screen-Time Rules
Online safety isn’t only about strangers, privacy, and cybersecurity.
Healthy technology habits matter too.
Families can establish reasonable expectations around:
- Bedtime
- Homework
- School
- Family meals
- Physical activity
- Social activities
- Device-free periods
- Age-appropriate applications
- Gaming
Instead of creating dozens of complicated rules, start with a few clear expectations.
For example:
Phones stay outside bedrooms during bedtime.
Or:
Homework comes before recreational screen time.
The right rules will depend on the child’s age, responsibilities, and family circumstances.
A family technology agreement can also help everyone understand the expectations.
9. Teach Children How to Recognize Scams
Children can encounter scams through email, social media, messaging applications, games, websites, and advertisements.
Some common warning signs include:
- “You won!”
- “Act immediately!”
- Requests for passwords
- Requests for money
- Requests for verification codes
- Suspicious links
- Fake giveaways
- Someone pretending to be a friend or family member
- Promises that seem too good to be true
Teach children to pause before clicking a link or responding to an unexpected request.
A simple rule is:
Stop, think, and ask before clicking or sharing.
Children should also understand that legitimate organizations generally won’t need them to provide passwords or sensitive verification information through unexpected messages.
10. Make Online Gaming Safer
Online games can involve voice chat, text chat, friend requests, purchases, and communication with people the child doesn’t know personally.
Parents should review:
- Chat settings
- Voice communication
- Friend requests
- Privacy settings
- In-game purchases
- Account security
- Age ratings
- Reporting tools
- Blocking tools
Explain to children that someone they meet while playing a game isn’t automatically trustworthy.
The same privacy rules that apply to social media should also apply to online gaming.
Children should avoid sharing their address, school, phone number, passwords, or other sensitive information with people they meet through games.
11. Use Age-Appropriate Parental Controls
Parental controls can be useful when combined with communication and education.
Depending on the device or service, parental-control features may allow parents to manage things such as:
- Screen time
- App access
- Website access
- Downloads
- Purchases
- Content restrictions
- Device schedules
- Certain activity notifications
The appropriate level of supervision depends on the child’s age, maturity, circumstances, and family expectations.
For younger children, parents may need more active controls.
As children become older, parents can gradually shift toward education, communication, and greater independence.
For many families, age-appropriate parental controls can be one useful part of a broader strategy for how to keep your child safe online.
Learning how to keep your child safe online also means understanding what parental-control tools can and cannot do.
12. Don’t Rely Only on Monitoring Technology
Technology can support a family safety plan, but it shouldn’t replace parenting or communication.
A monitoring or parental-control tool may provide useful information, but parents should also:
- Talk regularly with their children.
- Teach privacy skills.
- Explain online risks.
- Establish family rules.
- Encourage children to report problems.
- Review security settings.
- Respect age-appropriate privacy.
Parents should also explain what safety tools are being used and why.
The goal should be helping children become safer and more responsible technology users—not simply relying on software to solve every problem.
13. Create a Family Online-Safety Agreement
A written family technology agreement can make expectations easier to understand.
Your agreement might include rules such as:
- We don’t share passwords with friends.
- We don’t publicly share our home address.
- We ask before installing unfamiliar apps.
- We don’t share private photographs with strangers.
- We don’t share our real-time location publicly.
- We report bullying and threatening behavior.
- We ask for help when something feels wrong.
- We don’t click suspicious links.
- We respect other people’s privacy.
- Parents and children discuss major technology changes together.
The agreement should be age-appropriate.
You can also update it as your child grows older.
14. Review Your Child’s Digital Safety Regularly
Online safety isn’t something you configure once and forget.
Children install new applications, create new accounts, join new communities, and discover new websites over time.
Consider reviewing your family’s digital-safety settings every few months.
Check:
- Installed applications
- Privacy settings
- Location permissions
- Account security
- Passwords
- Screen-time rules
- Social-media settings
- Gaming settings
- Parental controls
As your child becomes older, update the rules accordingly.
A safety plan that works for an 8-year-old may not be appropriate for a 15-year-old.
15. Build a Family Online-Safety Checklist
Creating a simple checklist can make digital safety easier to manage.
Family Online-Safety Checklist
- Talk with your child about online safety.
- Explain what personal information should remain private.
- Use strong, unique passwords.
- Enable two-factor authentication where available.
- Review social-media privacy settings.
- Review app permissions.
- Check location-sharing settings.
- Discuss cyberbullying.
- Teach children how to recognize scams.
- Review gaming and messaging settings.
- Establish reasonable screen-time rules.
- Consider age-appropriate parental controls.
- Create a family technology agreement.
- Review digital-safety settings regularly.
You can save this checklist and review it with your family every few months.
What About Children’s Online Privacy?
Parents should pay particular attention to privacy when children use online services.
In the United States, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, commonly known as COPPA, provides specific protections concerning the collection of personal information from children under 13 by covered websites and online services.
The Federal Trade Commission explains that parents have certain rights concerning their children’s personal information, including rights related to reviewing and requesting deletion of information in applicable circumstances.
The FTC also finalized changes to the COPPA Rule in 2025 that include additional requirements concerning children’s data and how covered businesses handle certain information.
Parents should therefore look beyond an application’s features and consider its privacy practices before allowing a child to use it.
Ask:
- What information does the service collect?
- Why does it collect the information?
- Who can see the information?
- Can parents manage privacy settings?
- How long is information retained?
- Can information be deleted?
- What safety controls are available?
Understanding privacy policies isn’t always easy, but even a basic review can help parents make better decisions.
What Should Parents Do If Something Goes Wrong?
Even with good safety practices, children can encounter problems online.
If your child tells you about an uncomfortable situation, try to remain calm.
Depending on the situation:
1. Listen
Let your child explain what happened without immediately blaming them.
2. Document the situation
If appropriate, save relevant messages, usernames, dates, or screenshots.
3. Use platform safety tools
Many platforms provide options to block, report, or restrict accounts.
4. Secure accounts
If you believe an account may have been compromised, change the password and enable additional security measures.
5. Contact appropriate adults
Depending on the circumstances, this might include a parent, teacher, school administrator, counselor, or another trusted adult.
6. Seek professional help when necessary
Serious situations may require assistance from appropriate authorities or qualified professionals.
The specific response should depend on what happened and the level of risk involved.
Should Parents Monitor Their Child’s Phone?
There isn’t one answer that works for every family.
The appropriate level of supervision can depend on:
- The child’s age
- The child’s maturity
- Family circumstances
- The child’s online activities
- Previous safety concerns
- The type of technology being used
For younger children, parents may reasonably use more active supervision.
For older children and teenagers, parents can gradually focus more on education, communication, and responsible independence.
If you use parental-control or family-safety technology, explain what it does and establish clear expectations about how it will be used.
Technology should support a family’s safety strategy rather than replace communication and trust.
For parents in the United States, these official resources can provide additional information:
- Federal Trade Commission — Protecting Your Child’s Privacy Online
- Federal Trade Commission — Children’s Privacy / COPPA
Why Communication Matters More Than Any App
Parents sometimes look for a single application that will solve every online-safety problem.
There isn’t one.
Apps can help with certain tasks, but children also need to learn how to:
- Protect personal information
- Recognize suspicious behavior
- Create secure accounts
- Handle cyberbullying
- Make responsible choices
- Ask for help
- Respect other people’s privacy
- Think critically about information they see online
These skills become increasingly important as children grow older and gain more independence.
That’s why communication should remain at the center of your family’s online-safety strategy.
There is no single solution for how to keep your child safe online, so families should combine technology with education and communication.
Final Thoughts
How to keep your child safe online isn’t about eliminating technology from their lives. It’s about helping children learn how to use technology responsibly while giving parents appropriate tools and information to support them.
Start with communication.
Teach children what information should remain private. Help them create secure accounts. Review privacy and location settings together. Talk about cyberbullying, scams, social media, and gaming. Establish reasonable family technology rules and consider age-appropriate parental controls when they provide additional value.
Most importantly, make sure your child knows they can come to you when something online feels wrong.
A safer digital environment is built through a combination of education, communication, privacy, security, and appropriate technology.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Keep Your Child Safe Online: What Is the Best Approach?
The best approach to how to keep your child safe online combines open communication, privacy education, strong account security, appropriate parental controls, and clear family technology rules. No single application can address every online risk.
Should Parents Use Parental Control Apps?
Parental-control tools can be useful, particularly for younger children, but they work best alongside communication and education.
Parents should review an application’s features, privacy practices, security, and suitability before using it.
What Information Should Children Keep Private Online?
Children should generally avoid publicly sharing sensitive information such as their home address, phone number, passwords, financial information, school details, and real-time location.
Parents should teach children to ask a trusted adult before sharing information when they’re unsure.
How Can Parents Help Prevent Cyberbullying?
Talk regularly with children about their online experiences. Teach them how to block and report inappropriate behavior, encourage them to save relevant evidence when necessary, and make sure they know who they can contact for help.
Should Parents Monitor Their Child’s Phone?
The appropriate level of supervision depends on the child’s age, maturity, circumstances, and family rules. Parents should prioritize safety while also teaching children responsible digital habits and respecting age-appropriate privacy.
How Often Should Parents Review Online-Safety Settings?
A periodic review is useful because children install new apps, change accounts, and encounter new online services over time. Families can review privacy, security, location, and parental-control settings every few months or whenever there is a significant change.