Call us at 1-84 to learn more about our award-winning child safety features. Take the next step to protect your child online. A child becomes withdrawn or depressed, or loses interest in people and activities.A child starts to avoid social situations, even those that were enjoyed in the past.Social media accounts are shut down or new ones appear.A child hides their screen or device when others are near, and avoids discussion about what they are doing on their device.A child exhibits emotional responses (laughter, anger, upset) to what is happening on their device.Noticeable increases or decreases in device use, including texting.This often occurs around a child’s use of their device:

StopBullying.Gov outlines the following warning signs if a child is being cyberbullied. The most common place it occurs is on the sites, games, and chat forums on which your kids spend a lot of time.Ĭyberbullying is prone to causing mental health issues such as depression and anxiety for both the victim and perpetrator.

If you start from the outset, there are fewer surprises down the road.Ĭyberbullying is defined as “any bullying that takes place over a digital device.” This includes using text messages, apps, social media, or video games to send, post, or share negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. Talking to your kids about online safety and screen time is a lot like talking to them about any other activity with clear rules and boundaries (following a curfew or driving a car for the first time).

Online privacy: Teach your children not to share private or personal information online - even their address, school name, or phone number.

Malware: Explain how viruses make devices sick and how they should ask before downloading apps or trying to watch tv shows on streaming sites you haven’t approved.

Mature content: Warn them about adult content and make sure they know who to talk to if they come across it.

Social media: Show them how social networking sites work and what’s appropriate (or not) to share.

Screen time: Explain the need for screen-free time and why you will set limits on your child’s device.

During your talk, make sure to address issues, such as: Talking to your kids about why online safety is important is much more impactful than setting rules and boundaries without explanation. It’s never too late to talk to kids about online safety, but experts and parents agree: the sooner, the better.

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