Children can communicate with people around the world within seconds.
They may meet other players in games, join group chats, follow creators, participate in online communities, or receive messages from people they have never met.
Most online interactions may be harmless, but children need to understand that they cannot automatically know who is behind an account.
At the same time, personal information has become increasingly valuable online.
Teaching children to protect their privacy is therefore an essential life skill, not simply a technology rule.
What Counts as Personal Information?
Children often understand that passwords are private but may not recognise other information as sensitive.
Personal information can include:
▪ Full name
▪ Home address
▪ School name
▪ Phone number
▪ Email address
▪ Live location
▪ Passwords and verification codes
▪ Financial details
▪ Personal photographs
▪ Regular routines and locations
Even small details can become revealing when combined.
For example, a school uniform in a photograph and a location tag may provide information a child never intended to share.
Explain the Difference Between Online and Offline Friends
Children can form genuine friendships online.
However, someone known only through the internet is still different from a person whose identity has been established in real life.
Explain that profiles, photographs, voices, and personal stories can be misleading.
Someone can pretend to be younger, use another person’s photographs, or invent shared interests to gain trust.
The lesson should be caution rather than fear.
Teach Children to Recognise Warning Signs
An online contact deserves particular caution if they:
▪ Ask for personal information
▪ Request photographs or videos
▪ Offer gifts or money
▪ Ask the child to keep conversations secret
▪ Pressure them to move to a private platform
▪ Become angry when boundaries are set
▪ Ask to meet without parents knowing
Children should know they can end a conversation at any time.
They do not owe strangers politeness when they feel unsafe.
Never Keep Online Relationships Secret From Trusted Adults
One important rule is that safe relationships do not depend on secrecy.
If someone tells a child, “Don’t tell your parents about me,” that should immediately raise concern.
Explain the difference between harmless surprises and unsafe secrets.
Children should know that no online friendship is so important that they must hide it from trusted adults.
Be Careful With Location Sharing
Many apps and devices can share location information.
Review location permissions with your child.
Encourage them not to publicly post where they are in real time or reveal predictable routines unnecessarily.
Photographs can also contain clues about location, including street signs, school logos, house numbers, or recognisable landmarks.
Privacy involves more than simply turning off one setting.
Protect Passwords and Accounts
Teach children to use strong, unique passwords and avoid sharing them with friends.
Friendships can change.
A password shared during a close friendship can later be used to access or misuse an account.
Additional security features, such as multi-factor authentication, can help protect important accounts where available.
Children should also know never to give someone a verification code simply because they ask for it.
Recognise Phishing and Scams
Online scams can target children through games, social media, messaging, and email.
A message may claim they have won something, offer free in-game currency, threaten that an account will be closed, or ask them to click a link urgently.
Teach children to stop when a message creates pressure.
If something seems unusually generous, frightening, or urgent, they should ask an adult before responding.
What About Meeting an Online Friend?
Children and teenagers should not independently arrange private meetings with someone they know only online.
If an older teenager wants to meet an online friend, parents should be involved in assessing the situation and establishing appropriate safeguards.
The identity of the person should not simply be assumed to be genuine because they have communicated for a long time.
Teach Children That Images Can Be Copied
A photograph sent privately can be saved, copied, forwarded, or captured.
Children and teenagers should understand that once an image is shared digitally, they may lose control over where it goes.
They should never be pressured into sending private or intimate material.
If someone pressures, threatens, or blackmails them over an image, they should stop engaging and tell a trusted adult immediately.
The child should not be blamed for seeking help.
Review Privacy Settings Together
For younger children, parents may manage privacy settings directly.
As children become older, review settings together so they understand how to manage their own accounts.
Check who can view profiles, contact them, comment, tag them, or see location information.
Privacy settings are useful, but children should still assume that anything shared could potentially travel beyond the intended audience.
Create a No-Blame Route to Help
Children sometimes make unsafe online decisions.
They may click something they should not have, share too much information, or communicate with someone they later realise is suspicious.
Make sure fear of punishment does not prevent them from asking for help.
Safety should come first.
Parents can address the mistake after the immediate risk has been managed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What personal information should children never share publicly?
Passwords, verification codes, addresses, contact details, live locations, financial information, and information that reveals regular routines should be carefully protected.
Are online friends always dangerous?
No. Children can have positive online friendships, but they should remain cautious when someone’s identity has not been independently established.
What should my child do if an online stranger asks for a photograph?
They should not send anything that makes them uncomfortable, should stop communication when necessary, and should tell a trusted adult.
Should location sharing be turned off?
Review which apps genuinely need location access and avoid unnecessary public or real-time location sharing.
What should I do if someone is threatening my child online?
Preserve relevant evidence, stop or block communication where appropriate, report the account or content, and seek appropriate professional or law-enforcement assistance if there are threats, exploitation, or immediate safety concerns.
