Discussions with young people about securing their data and personal information should start before they go online.

They should know how they are connecting to the Internet: Are they using dial-up, DSL, Wi-Fi or a cellular network (e.g., 4G). They should also be aware of potential vulnerabilities. For example, if your child uses Wi-Fi, they should understand the difference between secured and unsecured networks. Secured Wi-Fi connections require a password to use and are generally safer than unsecured networks. However, sometimes using a public, unsecured network is the only way to get online. Help your child learn what steps they can take to protect their information when connecting to the Internet this way, such as using an encrypted VPN connection.

Start a conversation about connecting safely:

• What method(s) do you use to connect to the internet? Let’s learn more about how that method works (e.g., watch a video online).
• Why do you think sharing personal information, like credit card numbers, over an unsecured network is risky?
• Why is it important to be careful about sharing our family’s Wi-Fi password?

A strong password is one of the simplest ways to protect the information we share online.

Young people should know how to create one and keep it secure. Help your child create a password that is at least 7 characters long; uses a random mix of letters, numbers and symbols; and, contains no personal information. The longer and more complicated the password, the harder it will be to crack—but it may also be hard to remember. One method for creating passwords that are easier to remember is replacing some of the letters of a phrase.“I love pasta!” could become the password “1L0v3P*$t*!” Remind your child to avoid sharing passwords or writing them down.

Start a conversation about passwords:

• Have you ever felt pressured to share your password with someone? What did you do?
• Why is it important to have a different password for every account?
• Let’s discuss situations in which I may ask for your passwords. How can we make sure your privacy is respected? How can we make sure I have the tools I need to keep you safe?

Privacy settings can help young people take some control over who sees their information and where it is shared.

For example, some platforms allow images to be shared with specific people. To take advantage of privacy settings, young people need to know exactly what information they are sharing while online—it may be more than they think. For example, some digital platforms use technologies, like cookies and GPS, to track users’ web activity and physical locations. Fortunately, many of these platforms offer an option to turn these features (or some portion of them) off. Consider helping your child become familiar with and apply the privacy settings on every digital platform they use. But remind them that privacy settings can’t protect their information completely. If they’re worried about something they share online getting out of their control, it may be better not to share it at all.

Start a conversation about using privacy settings:

• How are you using privacy settings to protect your information?
• Did you know that images may contain metadata telling when and where they were taken? Let’s see if your digital device/platform has a way to turn that off.
• Do you ever use location services to check in to places? What steps are you taking to protect your location when you don’t want to share it?

To help your child master the digital basics of sharing personal information, teach them that context matters.

In some cases, they may have to share information to gain access to some apps and websites, such as their names, email addresses and birth dates. In other cases, they may want to share information about their lives, such as photos. Your child should know how to tell if a request for information is from a trustworthy platform or individual. For example, reputable platforms take steps to secure users’ information and have privacy policies stating what they do with users’ information. Individuals show that they are trustworthy by respecting the personal information shared with them. This includes not bullying, not sharing without permission and not otherwise taking advantage of the user. Teach your child that people who don’t respect their personal information should not have access to it.

Start a conversation about sharing personal information:

• What personal information are you cautious about sharing online?
• What clues do you look for to tell if a website/app/platform is trustworthy?
• What can you do if someone you’ve shared personal information with breaks your trust?