What kids (and some adults) probably do not realise is that there are real-world consequences for what they do online. We should keep reminding our kids about this as they grow up. It is relatively easy to forget what is at stake if we can get what we want quickly and with relative ease. And often, kids won’t think twice about giving personal information away.

If we don’t take our children’s online privacy seriously, they may end up in serious digital trouble, or worse, end up getting emotionally or physically harmed.

Here are some tips on how to protect your children’s privacy online:

• Guide your kids on which information, videos, photos, or posts from others to share or not share. Your home address, the name of the school they attend, your landline number (if you, dear parent, still have one in the house), and email address are examples of data they should never share publicly online.
• Check social media settings or possible privacy policy changes you might suddenly be defaulted to.
• Familiarise yourself with the laws that protect your online privacy.
• When you think your child is at the right age and ready to have a social media account, set one up together and spend as much time as you can walking them through and helping them understand the various privacy settings for that particular platform.
• Read up on news about the platforms you use to foster awareness about what can potentially happen online if they are not careful with their information.

A parent or caretaker’s ethical, moral, and legal obligation is to keep their children safe. And whether kids like it or not, this extends to their digital lives. So before a new smartphone or tablet is handed over, three things should have already been established: first, the parent or caretaker must assess that the child is mentally and emotionally mature enough to own and take responsibility for a device; second, there is open communication between parent and child about online activities; and, third, there is an agreement about expectations for how the device will be used, including the amount of time and which types of sites will be visited.

Once the device is handed over, require that your child come to you immediately if they encounter something that seems fishy online. On the flip side, it’s important to establish trust between the caretaker and the child. Parents should always ask their child’s permission first before looking through their devices. And when it comes to using monitoring apps, they should also inform their child before installing them.

Children must be aware that just because they get checked up on every now and then does not mean their parents don’t trust them. More often than not, it’s the people they interact with online that parents don’t trust.

Find out more about the work of the Maltese Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.