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It would be good to review all of these resources on Internet Safety.

-Miss Waddell

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11 Internet Safety Tips for Your Online Security

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Teen Voices: Who You're Talking to Online

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Cyber-bullying Facts – Top 10 Forms of Cyber Bullying

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6 min read

Keeping teens safe is hard enough in the physical world, let alone the cyberworld of social media, texting, online gaming, and online predators. But you don't have to stand by and hope for the best-you can take action to help keep your teen safe as they navigate the internet. Learn about the top cyberthreats for teens, and use our list of tips to increase online safety for the whole family.

The Top Online Threats for Teens

The internet is a labyrinth where good information and fun websites can get corrupted by hackers and other cybercriminals. When it comes to protecting kids, your first line of defense is understanding the twists and turns awaiting your teen when they enter this tricky landscape. Here's a look at the top online risks and what they can mean for your teen.

Cyberbullying: Young people have a long history of picking on one another, but today the taunts and abuse don't stop at the high school's doors. Social media, email, texting, and instant messaging (IM) can invade your teen's world 24/7. Sadly, there are multiple accounts where cyberbullying has led to suicide.

Sexting: Whether it's sending or receiving photos (or suggestive banter), sexting can lead to a lot of trouble. Depending on how far it goes and whether or not swapped pics remain private, sexting can result in consequences ranging from severe reputation damage to child pornography charges.

Identity theft: It might seem strange to worry about identity theft when your teen doesn't have any credit or assets to steal. But cybercriminals like to take a teen's blank slate of credit and open up accounts that can follow your child for years to come. The damage can impact your teen's future by making it harder to do things like buy a car, rent an apartment, or get a job.

Pornography: Exposure to pornography can have a lasting impact and hamper your teen's ability to form healthy, loving relationships in the future. It creates unrealistic expectations that may impact self-esteem and confuse a teenager's understanding of romantic relationships.

Online predators: Online predators often pose as peers in an attempt to connect with potential victims. They can show up on social networks, chat rooms, and other online environments. Many predators attempt to groom teens for sexual exploitation or human trafficking. But a growing number of online predators aim to radicalize children for extreme political or religious groups.

6 Tips to Keep Your Teen Safe Online

Once you understand the types of threats lurking in the internet's shadows, you can take action to minimize the risks to your teen. These tips lay a strong foundation of defense against the worst internet threats.

Communication is the key to keeping your teen safe online and in the real world. Whether your child is in the preteen years or just celebrated their sweet 16, it's never too early (or too late) to start talking to them about internet safety.

Let your teenager know the online threats you're concerned about, and discuss how to steer clear of them. By starting a dialogue about internet safety with your teen, you also pave the way for them to come to you when something strange or scary happens.

Clearly outline your expectations for online behavior, and identify internet safety rules that will help protect your teen. Include things like sharing email accounts and online usernames and passwords. Identify social networking sites and apps that are safe to use and others that are off limits. Check out more safe internet practices below.

Don't share personal information online, including your full name, address, phone number, and Social Security number.

Don't use public Wi-Fi networks.

Don't let anyone else use your phone, laptop, or tablet.

Don't accept friend requests from strangers.

Don't open emails from unknown senders.

Don't click on links or download anything without first clearing it with an adult.

Don't share photos online or through texts or IMs.

3. Put Protections in Place

Use a parental control filter to help limit your teen's exposure to inappropriate content. Parental controls can give you valuable intel on your child's online activities and alert you to potential red flags.

If you're worried about violating your teen's privacy, look for a parental control app that's designed to watch out for danger rather than spy on your child. There are a lot of apps out there that let parents know about potential risks without exposing details that could make your teen feel disrespected and violated.

And always make sure the privacy settings are up and running on all devices, apps, and programs that your teen uses. Make sure they know how to secure their smartphone from hackers and other cyberthreats.

4. Keep Things Out in the Open

Store computers, laptops, tablets, and phones in a central place in your home where you can monitor activity and enforce other boundaries.

Set limits for screen time, including time spent on a smartphone, online gaming, or any other web-based activity your kids are into. Teach them to stay away from strangers on the internet -whether it's an email from an unknown source, a suspicious link, or a friend request they don't recognize. If they're unsure, encourage them to run things by you so you can decide together whether something is safe or not.

Stay in the know about all of your teen's social network profiles, and have them add you as a friend. This can be more than a safety precaution-it can also be a fun way to stay connected to your teen and build trust. But the primary benefit of friending your teen is the ability to recognize potential danger and nip it in the bud.

Make it a prerequisite that you are the first friend your child adds if they want to download a new social app or network. This not only gives you insight into what they're doing online but also lets you learn about the app and its potential dangers.

6. Look for Signs of Trouble

Despite every effort to protect your child online, sometimes the bad stuff still gets through. No matter how safe you think your teen's internet behaviors are, it's always a good idea to keep an eye out for signs that things may not be as secure as you think. Look for these warning signs that your teen may be in trouble.

Secretive behavior like hiding screens when you enter the room or trying to go online outside of supervision

Creating new email accounts, social network profiles, etc.

Self-harm

Becoming sullen or withdrawn

Losing interest in friends or activities

Displaying strong emotional responses after going online

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Related articles on SafeWise

Rebecca is the lead safety reporter and in-house expert for SafeWise.com. She has been a journalist and blogger for over 25 years, with a focus on home and community safety for the past decade. Rebecca spends dozens of hours every month poring over crime and safety reports and spotting trends. Her expertise is sought after by publications, broadcast journalists, non-profit organizations, podcasts, and more. You can find her expert advice and analysis in places like NPR, TechCrunch, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Miami Herald, HGTV, MSN, Reader's Digest, Real Simple, and an ever-growing library of podcast, radio and TV clips in the US and abroad.

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How to Keep Your Teen (or Tween) Safe Online | SafeWise

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Find out how to keep your teenager safe online. Learn about the top online threats for teens, and use our tips to protect your child from internet dangers.

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We're constantly connected - whether it's text messaging, apps, social media, online games, website or emails - and that makes us all vulnerable to thieves looking to take advantage of us when we least expect it.

Thieves will go to any length to learn about you. Asking yourself these questions will help keep your personal information safe:

Am I posting sensitive information? This means addresses, phone numbers, your birthdate, Social Security number, driver's license number or financial information.

Should I share this? Be careful posting details about your life, and don't answer questions - online or over the phone - from anyone you don't know asking personal questions.

What are the privacy settings on my accounts? Look through the settings of the social media you use to be sure only people you absolutely trust see your posts.

Should I click? Unexpected links and attachments in messages might contain viruses or spyware that the sender doesn't even know about. Check with the sender first. If you don't know the sender, just trash the message.

Is this site legitimate? Malicious websites can look identical to trusted sites, but the URL or email address might use a different spelling or domain (e.g., .net instead of .com). When in doubt, avoid the website until you're 100% sure.

Is my software up to date? Check to be sure you're running the latest operating system, anti-virus software and web browsers.

Is it too good to be true? Free games and other things might be tempting, but they can come at a cost to your privacy. Only download from trusted sources, even if you might have to pay.

Are my passwords safe? Be sure your passwords include a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Make them hard enough that someone can't guess them, and don't share them with anyone.

Am I using free Wi-Fi? Many public Wi-Fi hotspots - like at libraries, coffee shops and malls - aren't secure and might not protect your passwords, messages, photos and other date. Check with an employee before connecting.

Keep the Conversation Going

As technology becomes more sophisticated, so do the ways online thieves operate. These are just a few tips to help protect your personal information. Be sure also to talk with family, friends, other students and trusted adults about what they do to stay safe online.

Protect Yourself & Others

Harassment that happens in email, text messaging, online games or on social media is cyberbullying. It might involve trolling, rumors or photos passed around for others to see - and it can leave someone feeling angry, sad or bad.

If you think you or someone you know is the victim of cyberbullying:

Don't keep it a secret. Reach out to at least one person you trust, such as a close friend, family member, counselor or teacher, who can give you the help and support you need.

Don't be a part. Avoid forwarding messages or images, and tell others to stop. Another way is to report it to the site or network where you saw it.

Get Help

If you feel you're in immediate danger by someone else, contact your local police.

If you or someone you know is being bullied and needs immediate help, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline online or call 1-800-273-TALK.

Learn More

For more information about cyberbullying - its effects, how to prevent it and how to respond to it - visit websites like the following:

Think About What You Share

Personal information is like money. Information about you, such as the games you play, what you search for or your favorite music, has value. Be selective with what you provide online and to whom.

You can't always take it back. Anything you post can be easily copied, and even if you delete it, it can live on in the internet. Consider who might see it, such as prospective colleges or employers, and how it might be perceived in the future.

When in doubt ... If you aren't sure if you should post something, it's probably best if you don't. Talk to a family member or trusted adult to see if you should.

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We are constantly connected online and that makes us all vulnerable to thieves looking to take advantage of us when we least expect it.

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The online world offers a wealth of resources for education, entertainment, and connection with other people. Unfortunately, the internet also poses new dangers, and those dangers threaten teens especially. The following guide provides the resources necessary for both parents and their teens to safely utilize the Internet.

There are plenty of horror stories: discovered that an entire website had been set up to denigrate him and encourage others to harass him at school. Another young woman was abducted by a man who had posed as a teen online, traced her to her home through the personal information she'd given out, and then stalked her to discover when she'd be home alone.

Even the non-horror stories are troubling: one young woman found that an entire suite of social media accounts had been set up to impersonate her online. She wasn't harmed personally by this crazy scheme, but others are less lucky: half a million teens have had their financial histories blemished from the start due to identity theft. And online scams abound-from prom dresses ordered online that turn out to be cheap knock-offs to software that secretly downloads itself and steers browsers to dangerous corners of the internet.

Online life is as fraught with peril as real life, and it can be much harder for parents to monitor the risks their kids are taking in the virtual world. But as with the other challenges of growing up, getting knowledgeable about internet safety for teens, talking over your concerns with the teens in your life, and arming them against the obvious dangers can build your relationships with them-and prepare them for adulthood.

Start with the Hardware

You should start your child internet protection plan with one of the most vulnerable aspects of your teen's online life, and one that may not be obvious because it's there in plain sight. But if your teen has a laptop of their own (or if they routinely borrow yours) it can lead to a world of trouble. Left unattended in a public place, a laptop-which may offer unfettered access to e-mail accounts, personal information, and even vital passwords and credit card numbers-can be gone in seconds. So if you want to boost your teen's cybersecurity, start by protecting their laptop.

At a bare minimum, insist that they set up password protection on their computer. This may act as a deterrent: a thief having to choose between unattended laptops may not choose one that's locked down with a password. The next step is a physical lock: computer cables are inexpensive, and will allow your teen to leave their seat at the library or a coffee shop without having to decide whether or not to bring their computer into the bathroom.

You can go an extra step by turning on the laptop's locator function, which comes as a native feature in Apple OS and iOS, with PC versions available for installation on other platforms. This will allow you to locate the computer if it's lost, and delete the data on the computer if it falls into the wrong hands.

Finally, you should talk to your teen about the type of information they leave on their laptop. It may be tempting to record all their vital passwords and other useful information, but of course doing so puts them at risk if someone steals it or manages to access it in some other way. At the very least, any files that they use to store this kind of sensitive information should be password protected.

1. Set Up Password
Protection

2. Turn on the Locator

3. Discuss Sensitive Information

Malware, Viruses, and Spyware

Protecting your computer means much more than physical protection, as important as that is. Much of the information on your computer can also be accessed by malicious software that can make its way onto your hard drive any time you connect to the internet, and sometimes when you're connected to any network at all.

Malware

Malware is a generic term for all malicious software.

Virus

Among the types of malware is the Virus, a piece of software that will secretly enter a computer's operating system and manipulate it into actions that damage it or hinder its performance.

Trojan Horse

Trojan horses are apparently innocuous applications or utilities that are used by hackers to insert malware into your operating system.

Spyware

Spyware is malicious software that allows a third party to take information off your computer without your knowledge.

The frightening thing about malware is that you may not even know it's on your computer until you look for it. If your teen complains about their computer's performance, though, or if they claim that their web browsers are "acting weird" (prompting browsers to flood the screen with pop-up windows and erratic results on search engines are two common symptoms of computers infected with spyware), take action immediately.

What's more, if your teen downloads a trojan horse, it's entirely possible that they'll give the harmless-looking software all the permission it needs to damage your computer or steal vital information, including passwords and credit card numbers. So in addition to a robust virus detection program, it's essential that you warn teens-and other users of your household computers-to be aware of the risks of downloading software from the internet, and to be leery of downloading any type of application from a non-reputable vendor.

Fortunately, there are some straightforward ways to protect your teen's computer: anti-virus software will take care of many of the greatest threats to your computer. Some manufacturers, like Apple, will provide anti-virus software for free, as will many internet service providers. Note, though, that anti-virus software needs to be updated to be effective.

Protect Your Mobile Hardware

Many of the same precautions you take with your laptops should be taken with mobile phones, tablets, and other devices that might contain similar types of sensitive information, or might be used to access personal information via the internet. Encourage your teen to use password protection and enable the device locator function on every device they own.

At the same time, it's not a good idea for teens to allow apps in general to use location services, since these may reveal where they live. Many devices will allow you to select what apps can use your location, so it might be worth the time to sit down with your teen and look at their phone or tablet's location settings-to make sure, for example, that when they put a picture of their dog up on Instagram, they won't also post your home address.

Everyone loves the camera function on their phones, but they present another risk that comes with mobile devices. Even with the location function turned off, photos taken and shared online can, by sending landmarks out over social networks, provide almost as much location information as a phone's location services function. Suggest to your teen that they take some care in choosing what shots to share, so they don't reveal too much about where they live.

ID Theft

So why is it so risky for a teen to reveal where they are? Revealing credit card numbers, or passwords to online merchant accounts, presents an obvious risk. But why would an address-or a photograph that gives their address away-cause problems?

Unfortunately, teens are just as susceptible to identity theft as adults, and for teens the consequences of someone using their information to apply for a credit card or access other financial resources can be just as bad, if not worse, than the consequences for an adult. Since teens don't have a credit history already, having an identity thief run down their credit rating can make building a decent credit history an uphill battle from the very start.

Even apparently innocuous information, like an address or a birth date-information that many people, not just teens, will sometimes include in their social media profiles-can be enough for a criminal to apply for a credit card, for example. And while you may stay on top of what they post on social media, teens, like adults, can also give out that information in an act of forgetfulness. Online quizzes or surveys are sometimes really just mechanisms by which scam artists try to get useful intel (a quiz might ask "what's your mother's maiden name?" for example, in order to get the answer to one of the most popular security questions).

Teens should be cautioned against putting up too much identifying information online. Birthdates are out; addresses should be, too. Even if the information doesn't seem like it's going to be collected in any permanent way, there's still a chance that it will be, and that it will be used by a scam artist to destroy a teen's financial reputation before they've even had a chance to build it.

"Unfortunately, teens are just as susceptible to identity theft as adults."

Only Make Sales Through Reputable Platforms

Look Out for Hidden or Extra Fees

Review Your App Subscriptions

Limit Your Teen's Online Spending

Scams and Online Shopping

Online scam artists have other schemes besides identity theft, however. Online shopping presents its own dangers. In the notorious case mentioned above, a teenaged girl thought she was buying an expensive prom dress at a bargain price only to discover that the dress she received in the mail didn't match the online photo at all. It was cheaply made, poorly fitted, and impossible to return.

Again, these are risks that even adults fail to see in time, but you can help your teen avoid getting taken in by insisting on having a look at any purchase they make online. You can also insist that any sales go through reputable vendors like Amazon, or that, at the very least, they go through reputable sales platforms like eBay, where it's possible to get purchase protection and the site's management provides tools and assistance in resolving customer complaints.

Some scams involve more than just a single purchase. Teens should, for example, be aware of one scam that promises "free" ringtones, but charges a high monthly fee that the teen might not be aware of until it shows up on your credit card statement.

Both these online scams involve disreputable businesses. But some online shopping risks are harder to spot. The teen years are probably too late for the "I didn't know" excuse for in-app purchases, the $800 iTunes bills that are the stuff of legend. But some smartphone apps involve "subscriptions" that it's easy to forget about, and that can ding your credit card for three, four, or five dollars on a weekly basis.

So it makes sense to review your accounts on iTunes or other app marketplaces to make sure such subscriptions aren't adding up. If they are, the best recourse is just to mention them to your teen and ask them to be more careful in the future.

Finally, there are ways to limit your teen's online spending. iTunes offers an "allowance" feature that will deposit a set amount in an iTunes account on a regular basis rather than simply giving the account unlimited access to a credit card. Many online marketplaces, from Amazon to Google Play, offer gift cards that can be redeemed online (this approach also keeps teens using more reputable retailers). Many online retailers will also accept cash cards-that is, what are essentially prepaid credit cards-as payment. And if you're interested in high-tech solutions, you might want to look into VeeLoop, an app that allows your teen to seek your approval for items in their virtual shopping carts before an online vendor processes their purchase.

Social Media: Online & In Public

As bad as they are, scams and malware aren't the only online dangers. Social media has dramatically expanded the amount of their lives that teens can live online. And while social media allows teens to keep up with friends and family, even across vast distances, a lot of life's dangers have followed them online as well.

Remember: social media is designed to convince users that they're a part of a community. And while they do function as virtual communities, it's easy to forget how many people can be privy to online conversations between friends. That's why many teens may, without thinking, reveal vital information of the kind that's most useful for ID theft and other criminal acts. Beyond that, wherever kids congregate, there's a possibility for hurtful or inappropriate behavior, and the virtual world is no different.

There are many social networks, but here's a look at some of the most popular.

FACEBOOK

Many teens will have a profile on Facebook without using it much. Even so, Facebook's platform allows for interactions with strangers, and its various levels of privacy and multiple means of sharing can make what seem like private interactions more public than a user may realize.

TWITTER

Like Facebook, Twitter isn't the most popular teen social media platform, and while teens should continue to take care with it-and parents should be aware that there's no way to prevent teens from coming across adult material, and no particularly effective means of stopping harassment-it's tamer than some online outlets.

INSTAGRAM

Instagram is much more popular among teens, and it's based primarily on sharing images which people in a user's network can then comment on. Because it's based on images, Instagram can tempt teens to post embarrassing or inappropriate images online, but it has similar privacy settings to Facebook, which means that the user can exercise some control over who can see their content.

SNAPCHAT

Snapchat takes Instagram a step further: it's also based on sharing images presented as an occasion for comments. These images disappear after a few seconds, however, so things that appear on Snapchat may seem to be gone forever. As it happens, however, most devices can capture any images that appears on its screen. And while Snapchat now notifies users that when someone takes a screen grab of an image they've put up, some apps allow users to circumvent this feature. As a result, Snapchat is even more likely to lure teens into thinking an inappropriate or embarrassing picture will never be seen again.

This may seem like an unmanageable array of platforms-and this list leaves out some other, less-used sites as well. But if you're concerned about your teen's online life, there are some easy ways to keep tabs on what they're up to. You can ask what platforms they use most frequently and check their profile pages.

You can also use a search engine to search for your teen's name and see what results you get: if their social media profiles appear in search results, they may not be using their privacy settings appropriately. If that's the case-and even if it isn't-sit down with your teen and look at each social network site's privacy settings to make sure that no sensitive information or embarrassing material can come in reach of people they don't know. And if you're active on social media, one simple way to keep up with your teen's online life is to follow or friend them yourself.

Given the various ways social media platforms make it easy to share photos, you may also want to talk to your teen about what constitutes "embarrassing" or "inappropriate." It's possible that they may have a different perspective than you, of course, but it's also possible that they're defining those terms without taking into consideration how far an image can spread, and how permanent it may be. Knowing that a future love interest, or an elderly relative, might someday see a comment or image they post online may change the teen's perspective.

Meeting People Online: Stalkers and Predators

All parents fear the possibility of their child coming in contact with strangers who who mean to do them harm. The risk of that happening through online interactions, and through social media in particular, is very real. That's because sensitive information isn't only a boon to scammers hoping to profit off of identity theft: carelessly spread information, and thoughtless interactions with unknown people, can also put teens at risk of encountering stalkers, predators, and others who could harm them physically or emotionally.

750,000

Predators are online looking to foster inappropriate relationships with teens at any given time.

One threat that's easier to avoid is that of the stalker, a person who gradually gathers information about a person in order to harass them or violate their privacy. You should remind your teen that even the blandest photo can reveal information about their age, what school they go to, where they live, and even times that they're most likely (or least likely) to be alone. Privacy settings may help prevent the wrong people from getting that information, but teens should also use that awareness to restrict what they'll give away in their profiles, pictures, or in an ordinary exchange of comments or messages.

Predators-people who work to gain a youth's confidence either in order to build an inappropriate relationship or in order to lure them into inappropriate behavior-are a bigger online safety concern. Many of the most popular social media sites or apps, including Instagram and Snapchat, are effectively electronic messaging services, and beyond the world of social media, teens can often get drawn into online forums, chat rooms, or other venues where they can have extended exchanges with people they don't know.

These virtual interactions have been a boon for online predators: according to statistics put out by the FBI and United Nations, at any given time there are 750,000 predators online looking to foster inappropriate, and sometimes illegal, relationships with teens. And there have been bad outcomes: teens have been lured into abductions and into sexual situations, and have been subject to sexual assault as a result of relationships begun online. And there's a chance that none of the exchanges leading up to such an outcome will be easily visible to parents.

One way to prevent such horror stories is simply to educate the teen. The website onlinesense.org, for example, offers a list of ways to recognize someone who's trying to lead you into a potentially dangerous situation. For example, predators will:

Many of these behaviors would, of course, be easily spotted as obnoxious or creepy if they were done by a stranger the teen met in person, and that's probably the best way to communicate the warning signs here: ask the teen to imagine themselves alone in a strange place with a stranger pestering them with questions or telling them to keep their meeting a secret. Remind them, too, that in the online world, it's easy for someone to assume an identity: the 12 year old girl mentioned at the beginning of this article had been convinced by her abductor that he was also a teen, even though he was in his mid thirties. So don't just encourage your teen to imagine a stranger asking them questions: have them imagine a stranger wearing a mask.

If you suspect your teen may already be in contact with someone who doesn't have their best interests at heart, it may be daunting to bring up the subject. Again, though, linking the issue to real life may be your best bet. You can, as you would with real acquaintances, ask to be (virtually) introduced. If a teen seems to be spending an inordinate amount of time in chat rooms, you can set limits as you would on any other social activity-and insist on being able to view browser histories in order to keep track. You can approach one of the teen's trusted peers, older relatives, or mentors and ask them to do a reality check or inquire what's going on. Teens often rebel against control, but they're also often swayed by genuine and respectful concern.

When the Predators Aren't Strangers: Online Bullying

Unfortunately your teen's emotional well-being may not be threatened by strangers only. Online bullying is a real possibility as well, and can have devastating effects, leading to long-term problems with self-esteem. Bullying can also lead to depression and (in some tragic instances) suicide.

As with real-life bullying, the shame associated with the experience can make it difficult for a teen to seek help or advice. Because the online world provides harassers with potentially unassailable anonymity, this, too, can make the teen unwilling to speak out. So it's important to look for signs . If your teen:

* Is avoiding online activities (such as gaming or social media) that they used to enjoy, and yet don't seem to have traded these activities for something else they like to do

* Seems to be relieved when coming away from their computer or device, as if they've just had an unpleasant experience

* Seems to be routinely dismayed by messages they receive or by other interactions with people on their mobile device or computer

* Are suddenly becoming much more secretive about their online experiences

* Are showing signs of depression

They may be subject to bullying online.

If that's the case, though, what can you do? You should, first of all, try to talk to your teen. According to Sameer Hinduja and Justin Patchin of the Cyberbullying Research Center, your first step should always be to sit down, ask what's going on, provide unconditional support without "freaking out," and very much take a problem-solving approach to the situation. Document the abuse, be ready to report it to the authorities, and keep lines of communication open between you.

Understand, too, that even if your teen isn't being bullied, they may very well know of someone who is. If you can, encourage your teen to report bullying, if only to you. And just in case, remind them that in many jurisdictions the online harassment that we call cyberbullying is actually a crime, and can have serious repercussions for them if they're involved. Even if they never become a cyber bully themselves, the fact that bullying is illegal may be enough for them to convince friends or acquaintances not to join in when others do it.

How to Handle Gaming

One online community in which bullying is especially prevalent is online gaming. Not that bullying is an unavoidable feature of such games: many teens may find a valuable social outlet in the community that springs up around their favorite role-playing game, or around the online component of their favorite console games. What's more, many games themselves teach valuable lessons about teamwork, problem-solving, and other important developmental skills.

At the same time, however, online games, just like neighborhood sports, can be an occasion for trash talk which then escalates to harassment or bullying. Especially for a teen whose social life revolves around an online community, the effect can be traumatic. As with other types of bullying, keep tabs on your teen's mood and behavior, and try to look for signs that you might have a problem. Nor is bullying the only risk that online games present. Often games will include forums for online communication, and these can serve as tools for predators in the same way as social media.

Finally, like other online activities, online gaming can gradually take over more and more of a teen's life until it becomes an addiction.

If you're concerned about this prospect, here are some tell-tale warning signs of internet gaming addiction:

Obsessively thinking about gaming, even when the teen isn't playing.

Lying about gaming activities-to family and friends.

Deep distress when gaming activities are curtailed for any reason.

Lack of interest in other activities, and neglect of hygiene, schoolwork, or other responsibilities, whether in the household or outside of it.

If you suspect that your teen may be addicted to gaming, the first approach, as always, is to talk to them. Try to set limits and seek to tie the privilege of gaming to responsibilities they may be neglecting. If these approaches don't work, you might want to try counseling or other professional help. A video game addiction is unlikely to be as damaging or difficult to overcome as an addiction to alcohol or drugs, but soldiering on against it without help is just as likely to damage your relationship with your teen.

Should My Teen Have a Blog?

Absolutely! Blogging-and webcasting videos via YouTube-can be a great creative outlet, and may inspire your teen to acquire the skills and dedication of a successful blogger, or the technical savvy (and even greater dedication) that a successful video channel requires. What's more, bloggers, Youtubers, and podcasters (people who disseminate audio content via iTunes or other platforms) can in rare instances earn money from their efforts, which adds a key incentive for teens to persevere.

At the same time, these outlets present some of the same dangers as other online activities. They can be a way for stalkers and predators to learn personal information about your teen, and-even more than social media-they put your teen's actions, attitudes, and behaviors on public display, putting them at risk of later embarrassment or shaming, and even possible legal consequences if they say the wrong thing.

If your teen is putting content online, be sure to go over with them the various risks of putting out personal information on the internet. And you may also want to lay down some ground rules, such as requiring all content to get your approval before it's put out for the rest of the world to see.

A survey of more than 600 teens found that nearly all shared their real name and photos of themselves , and most shared their school name, birthdate, and where they lived.

Some Common Sense Guidelines

In a world full of screens, it may seem futile to fight them for your teen's attention. And yet you are your teenager's anchor to the real world, and you may be the only one in their lives seeking to protect them from life's dangers. That being the case, here are some general internet safety tips you can try as you work to keep your teen safe online.

Insist that your teen employ privacy settings on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms. If the teen uses a shared computer for their online life, make sure that computer stays in a common area in the house. This shouldn't be done so you can look over their shoulders, but rather so you can get a glimpse of how their online life affects them (an essential for cyberbully prevention) and keep tabs on the amount of time they're spending. If you're concerned, this will also allow you to check their browser history.

Enforce general norms against screen use and online activity. "No phones at the table" is a good place to start, as is a set time to turn screens and phones off, enforced on school nights, or on any night when the teen needs to show up somewhere the next morning. If these limits turn out to be bigger battles than you expect, that will at least alert you to potential problems.

Resist allowing the teen to use screens or phones in their rooms, even if those devices are properly theirs. Phones may be too much of a battle (and may be impractical to enforce), but try to keep their gaming screens, tablets, or computers out. This will help them get better sleep, and will once again allow you to get a glimpse of how they're conducting themselves online.

If you want to more closely monitor your teen's online activities, consider taking advantage of some of the apps or software designed for that purpose, including Net Nanny, which allows you to control what websites your kids access, and will even warn you if your teen searches for an objectionable term. Secure Teen keeps call logs and allows you to read text messages. Teen Safe does all of this and more-including locking teens out of messaging when they're driving and allowing you to track them via GPS.

In the end, remember that helping your teen through life's challenges-online and offline-is as much about communication as it is about control. Given enough time and the endless resources of the internet, teens can usually circumvent even the best apps and cheat the tightest household restrictions. But they won't be able to hide their emotions if they have a problem, and whatever happens they're still going to want your approval. So take teens' online lives seriously, but don't forget that their online lives are still their lives, and part of the process by which they become adults.

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Empower teens with an online safety guide, equipped with vital knowledge to navigate the digital world responsibly.

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How to Actually Keep Kids and Teens Safe Online

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The Internet can be a risky place. There are endless feeds filled with posts that contain graphic sexual and violent content, glamorize eating disorders, encourage self-harm or promote discriminatory and offensive diatribes. People often share too much personal information with a too-public audience that includes cyberbullies and strangers with ill intent. And they also risk losing time: by spending hours online, they might miss out on experiences and growth opportunities that can be found elsewhere. These problems are particularly acute for children and teenagers, and new laws that attempt to protect youth from the Internet's negative effects have their own serious downsides. Scientific American spoke with experts about the best evidence-backed ways to actually keep kids safe online.

Young people spend a huge chunk of their lives on the Internet. For most teens in the U.S., the bulk of their waking hours play out in front of network-connected screens, according to surveys from the nonprofit organization Common Sense and from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Kids younger than age 13 aren't that far behind; they spend upward of five hours online daily.

Though the exact impacts of online activity aren't yet well understood, it's clear that what happens on the Internet does matter for young people's well-being. "I don't know that we can say 'cause and effect' at this point," says Mary Alvord, a practicing psychologist who specializes in treating children and adolescents and is an adjunct associate professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine. "But we can make correlational statements," she adds, noting that excessive time spent on social media has been associated with poor mental health among kids and teens.

Both the U.S. Surgeon General and the American Psychological Association issued health advisories earlier this year about potential harms of online social media to youth. Each advisory is clear: online activity carries benefits and risks, and more work is needed to understand and mitigate the downsides.

In recent months lawmakers have introduced and enacted policies ostensibly aimed at doing just that. Multiple states have imposed age restrictions for certain types of online content. At the national level, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) has advanced out of a Senate committee and awaits consideration on the legislative floor. But experts are divided on whether age-restriction efforts and sweeping policies such as KOSA are set to help young people or harm them.

Proponents of KOSA, including the American Psychological Association, say that the legislation could be a positive first step toward holding tech companies accountable for their impact. Conversely, critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union fear that some of its provisions will reduce online freedoms, restrict access to information and penalize vulnerable populations such as LGBTQ+ youth by leaving the moderation and definition of harmful content up to state officials, who may have their own political agendas. Earlier this month one co-sponsor of the bill, Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, appeared to imply that in her state, KOSA would be used to block minors from accessing information about transgender issues. Jamie Susskind, Senator Blackburn's legislative director, has denied the senator was making any claims about using KOSA to censor trans content. "KOSA will not-nor was it designed to-target or censor any individual or community," Susskind posted on X (formerly Twitter).*

But these controversial policies aren't the only way to promote online safety. Other legislative actions that are less focused on censorship, along with clear content guidelines and better social media design, could help. Plus, digital safety researchers and psychologists agree that getting families, schools and young people themselves involved would make a big difference in keeping kids safe.

Digital privacy legislation is one alternate policy path that might shift the online landscape for the better. "If people's data is treated with respect in ways that are transparent and accountable, actually, it turns out a whole set of safety risks get mitigated," says social psychologist Sonia Livingstone, who researches children and online media at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

A comprehensive data privacy bill could require social media companies to disclose when user data are being collected and sold-and to obtain consent first. This would help users make better choices for themselves, Livingstone says. Limiting the data that tech platforms amass and profit from could also help block the proliferation of algorithms that emphasize increasingly extreme content in order to hold social media users' attention. Additionally, privacy legislation could ideally enable users to request the removal of content or data they no longer want online-potentially protecting kids (and everyone else) from their own short-term choices, Alvord says.

Beyond privacy, national guidelines for social media sites could help. Livingstone and Alvord suggest that a content rating system like those used for movies, TV shows and video games might help young people avoid inappropriate content-and allow families to set firmer boundaries. Design features that let users block others and limit the audience for specific posts allow kids and teens to take the reins of their own safety-which is critical, says Pamela Wisniewski, a Vanderbilt University computer scientist, who studies human-computer interaction and adolescent online safety.

Parental controls can be appropriate for younger kids, but teens need the chance to exercise autonomy online, Wisniewski says. Such freedom lets them engage in some of the Internet's positive aspects: civic engagement opportunities, community and educational resources, identity exploration and connections beyond one's own social bubble. To ensure these benefits are accessible to all, youth should be directly involved formulating regulations and safety strategies, Wisniewski adds. As part of her research, she holds workshops with teens to involve them in co-designing online safety interventions. Though this program, called Teenovate, is in the early stages, some ideas have already emerged from it. Among them: social platforms could provide "nudges" that would ask users to think twice before sharing personal data and prompt would-be bad actors to reconsider personal requests or bullying behavior.

Education is another important way to reach young people. They may be digital natives, but there's a lot for them to learn about engaging with the Internet safely. "You ask young people what they would like to learn about in school; they would love better digital literacy," Livingstone says. "They'd love to be taught about data ecology. They'd love to understand how algorithms work." And existing coursework should adapt to include discussions of online issues, Wisniewski adds. For instance, sex education classes could add modules about dealing with sexual solicitation online or learning safer ways to "sext." Studies suggest that sexting, or sharing intimate information via digital devices, is practiced by 25 percent to 35 percent of teenagers.

Engaging with the ways youth use the Internet instead of dismissing them is key to improving young people's experience-at their schools, in their families and under policies that affect them. Kids and teens are often better versed in the latest apps and platforms than their parents are. This dynamic can breed misunderstanding and judgment, and it can make open conversations about online struggles difficult, says psychologist Mitch Prinstein, who studies technology and adolescent development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "We've inadvertently communicated to our kids that we don't understand or care and [that] we're not going to be empathic or interested in talking about their online experiences," Prinstein explains. "What we should be doing is just the opposite: saying, 'This seems really important, and you're spending a lot of time on it.'"

From that place of openness and curiosity, caregivers are much better positioned to help kids and teens develop resilience and healthier online habits. The online world "isn't good or bad," Alvord says. "It's what we make of it, how we use it, how much we use it." Accepting that "it's here to stay," she says, is the first step toward finding real and meaningful safety solutions.
*Editor's Note (9/18/23): This paragraph was updated after posting to include a comment made on social media by Jamie Susskind, Senator Marsha Blackburn's legislative director.

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Here’s How to Actually Keep Kids and Teens Safe Online

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Controversial policy proposals such as the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) are making headway across the country, but there are other ways to help protect young people in the digital world

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Wellcast - Safe Web Surfing: Top Tips for Kids and Teens Online