Internet Safety for Kids: Tips to Keep Kids Safe Online

On the Internet, you can find information about — and images of — almost anything. However, when it comes to your children’s online activities, you need to make sure they’re protected against contact with undesirable people, inappropriate or harmful content.

Online threats and dangers to children

Statistics from NetSmartz (an online effort by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children), however, bear out the fact that children are online more than ever. Ninety-three percent of kids aged 12 to 17 are online, and 75 percent of the same age group have cell phones. Seventy-three percent of teens have social networking profiles on sites like Facebook, with almost half uploading pictures of themselves.

Devices are integrated into parents’ and children's lives. Mobile phones, tablets, and laptops are either personally owned by children or available for them to use in the home. However, unlimited access to the internet makes it harder for parents to keep children safe online.

While it’s impossible to have parental guidance online 24/7, it’s important to know exactly how threats present online, such as:

Contact with undesirable people, including:

• Predators — for example, in social media messages or gaming lobby chat rooms.
• Cyberbullies— children can be targeted by online bullies, including real-life ones.
• Phishing scammers — they trick your child out of sensitive info about themselves or you.

Inappropriate content, such as:

• Sexually explicit content — notably pornographic images and video.
• Violent or graphic content — such as gore or acts of assault.
• Obscene or age-inappropriate content — like foul language or drug and alcohol use.
• Downloads of pirated materials — including music or video files.

Computer security issues:

• Drive-by downloads — whereby simply visiting a website can result in malicious programs being automatically installed on your child’s computer.
• Malware infections — can give other people access to your child’s computer. It may appear in peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing programs, web links, PDF attachments, and more.
• Unwanted advertising, pop-ups, and adware programs — often automatically installed when freeware or shareware programs are downloaded. These can also carry spyware.

There's a real concern around Internet safety for children since they are in many respects savvier than their parents when it comes to the Web. Fortunately, family Internet safety is becoming more of a priority.

Cybersecurity threats to children

AI threats

As AI grows in popularity, it continues to pose more threats. According to a 2024 UN study, A Future with AI: Voices of Global Youth report, 76.3% of youth think that AI is a serious risk to consider, but it is something that can be managed.

While AI is commonly used in our daily work, making it an unlikely suspect for harming children online, it is gradually infiltrating the online chatbot space. For example, Snapchat is a popular social media platform that allows users to post content to followers or publicly, which then disappears after 24 hours. In 2023, the Washington Post did a study on the Snapchat My AI bot, powered by ChatGPT, and found that the AI bot provided inappropriate content to underage users, unprompted, for example; ‘how to disguise the smell of alcohol and cannabis’—despite not being prompted for the info and knowing that the account user was 15 years old.

Online gaming

In 2023, the global online gaming market generated approximately $26.14 Billion in revenues. While gaming may seem harmless, many of the most popular games aimed at the youth are played online with the option to interact with other players. In 2022 alone, Kaspersky detected more than seven million attacks on children’s games.

Gaming, especially with open communication platforms, leaves children vulnerable too:

• Online predators
• Cyberbullying
• Aggressive and inappropriate language
• Downloading malicious files
• Gaming account theft
• Gaming scam

Social media

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, Snapchat and WhatsApp, and also Likee and Roblox (not as a gaming platform, but as a communication space) are all social media accounts that children use. While WhatsApp is not automatically considered a social media app, it’s another app that parental controls should be applied.

Like gaming, children, tweens and teens are susceptible to harassment, unwanted attention from predators and cyberbullying.

Children might divulge too much information online or not secure their profiles correctly, making it easy to become a victim of phishing, bullying or similar.

Preventative measures

For parents, access management is critical, and this takes two broad forms:

1. Parental control software — often comes bundled with Internet security solutions and gives you the ability to manage the time your child spends online.
2. Antivirus software programs — help you deal with issues like spyware and viruses from websites your children may unwittingly visit. — help you deal with issues like spyware and viruses from websites your children may unwittingly visit.

Parental control software features allow you to:

• Monitor internet activity
• Control time spent online
• Set up restrictions per user or contacts
• Block or allow certain websites
• Physically track device whereabouts

Antivirus software can protect devices even further from:

• Phishing scams
• Malware
• Spyware
• Hacking of personal information

Mutual respect

Kids must have some room to learn and grow from their own choices. Oppressive content controls won’t help them accomplish that and may make them more rebellious.

• Ensure that your children know that they can speak to you about anything.
• Be fully transparent as to why certain boundaries are in place
• Talk to your children about internet safety so they can fully understand the dangers involved.

What your kids need to know about internet safety

Should parents restrict social media use? There are pros and cons of parents monitoring social media and other online activities. However, teaching children about the risks of online activity is your primary objective to ensure a fun, safe and secure experience.

You can also find a social media parents' guide on each platform to help understand the finer details of your kid's preferred platform.

1. Avoid online strangers

The internet makes it easy for children to encounter strangers every day.

Online comment threads, chat rooms, and private messages also contain cybercriminals. They hide behind avatars to trick children into giving out personal details. These details can then be used to steal your identity and money. These phishing scams are especially common when targeting vulnerable people, such as children and the elderly.

Strangers can also manipulate children into giving out personal information for illegal or extortion purposes.

What your kids need to know:

• People are not who they say they are online
• Never give out personal information - even to ‘known’ friends
• Never give out other's personal information
• Photos or videos cannot be permanently deleted, so be careful of what you share.

How you can help your kids:

• Stick to reputable sites
• Ensure that games and platforms are age-appropriate
• Monitor online activity, especially chat platforms and contacts

Comprehensive internet security products like Kaspersky Premium can help. These prevent your child from sending information such as bank account details, names, and addresses through chat rooms and instant messengers.

2. Block and report online bullies

On gaming sites and social media, some people log on to simply harass and taunt others. These players are known as cyberbullies.

Controlling and preventing cyberbullying can be difficult. In most online games, moderators attempt to ban them. But with so many players, it can be hard to get every single one. Social media can be equally tricky as each platform has different guidelines in response to cyberbullies.

What your kids need to know

• Inform parents immediately if someone is making them feel uncomfortable.
• Document and report evidence of bullying behavior, such as screen usernames and screenshots of abuse.
• Be vigilant of online bullies and take action to report them.
• Block the offending user immediately and report to the platform.

Sometimes, bullying can be an extension of real-life harassment, which needs further intervention.

How you can help your kids

• Monitor who your children are talking to online.
• Set up your internet security to notify you of specific words used in communications.
• Learn the social media guidelines for reporting online behavior
• Ensure that younger kids are not isolated when playing online.
• Talk to your children about their online activities.

3. Some links, downloads, and websites are problematic

Cybercriminals know children seek out free software, music, and games. They also know children are more likely to trust links and email attachments.

What your kid needs to know

• Do not click any links that pop up on the screen.
• Only access verified sites

How you can help your kids

• Install a legitimate security suite that blocks unsafe links on all devices.
• Regularly update your internet software to stay up to date.
• Change passwords frequently and use a password vault.

4. Anything shared on the internet is shared forever

The framework of the internet means nothing can permanently be removed. There will always be artifacts of the data left behind, almost like breadcrumbs. People are another way private data gets stored longer than planned. If your child sends a picture, message, or other data to someone, that person will always have a way to save it. Your child’s devices can even be eavesdropped through spyware or man-in-the-middle attacks.

What your kid needs to know

• Never share anything online that you would not share in person, be it about yourself or someone else.
• Always practice kindness. Anything said on the internet is permanent.
• Even time deletion apps (Snapchat) are still stored on a server.

How you can help your kids

• Ensure your kids can talk to you about anything - even purchasing apps if they’ve received a message about a giveaway or from a stranger.
• Activate internet security for kids’ devices.

How to: 6 ways to talk with your kids about internet safety

Ultimately, you must talk with your children about online threats in a way that they’ll understand. The Internet poses real risks for children and teens, but parents can help them make informed decisions that keep them safe online.

Here are six ways to talk about Internet safety with your children.

1. Set ground rules

Before handing a computer or mobile device to your children, you should have an age-appropriate discussion about what they should and should not do.

• Set limits on screen time - with limited time online, there’s a smaller chance of children drifting into undesirable parts of the web.
• Ensure open communication about activity - this should include joining new platforms, seeing unsettling content or sharing information.
• Always show kindness and respect - Children should not succumb to the anonymity of the internet and should treat others as they want to be treated.

2. Talk about how and why you monitor children’s online use

As children get older and join social networks, be upfront about monitoring what they post and why you’re doing it. Even teenagers may not fully understand the long-term impact of their posts, or that the Internet never forgets. They should be aware that you're looking out for them, not trying to get them in trouble.

If you find that your way of monitoring is causing conflicts, be open to trying something new. Remind your children that their safety is your primary concern, but don't be afraid to give them a little freedom as they get older.

For tween internet safety, parental control software, such as Kaspersky Safe Kids offers an easy solution to monitor and manage your children’s online activity.

3. Teach kids how to take action themselves

Kids can take steps to be proactive online by teaching them how to use the privacy, reporting and blocking functions on the sites they visit.

6. Don’t forget the positive

Knowing how to talk to your kids about the dangers of the internet is one aspect, but demonstrating the positives is also important. Help set the stage for responsible online behavior by talking about the ways the Internet can help with schoolwork and pursuing other interests. Kids follow the examples of their parents in many seen and unseen ways. Sharing examples of how you use the Internet responsibly can send a much stronger message than implementing rules and restrictions.