As parents, we go to great lengths to protect our children's privacy and keep them safe. However, as children pick up devices and connect to the internet, many of us are unaware of their digital activities. Who are they talking to, what information are they sharing online, and what sort of content are they engaging with?
Every comment, like, and post shared publicly on online platforms can remain there for a long time. It is essential to discuss online privacy with your kids before they enter middle school and get unsupervised access to their own devices.
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How to Talk to Your Kids About Online Privacy
The best way to educate your kids about privacy and online safety tips is to get involved in their online lives. It's easier to start the conversation when you know what's really going on.
When you see them playing their favourite online game like Minecraft or Roblox, sit with them and offer to play together. That way, you can start the conversation about how the game works and naturally shift the discussion towards maintaining online privacy.
Once the conversation about online privacy has started, you can share some news and examples of online risks.
According to Telegraph, Roblox, which has millions of users under 13, is facing lawsuits for failing to protect children from predators on its platform. Such news is not surprising anymore as companies prioritise making money over improving safety for children.
4 Tips for Online Safety for Kids
Once your child understands why online privacy matters, the next step is giving them concrete habits to protect it.
Verify Someone's Identity
You cannot tell for sure who's behind the screens interacting with your child. It's important for your kid to verify identity before talking to someone. These days, it's easy to copy someone's identity, especially with the use of AI deepfake technology. The United Nations has raised the issue at the global level, which extends from grooming and deepfakes to cyberbullying and inappropriate content.
The safest approach is to involve a parent the moment something feels off. Beyond that, cross-platform consistency is worth checking, as a real person typically has an account history that holds up across multiple platforms.
Verify a Link Is Safe
According to the Cyber Security Breaches Survey in 2025, around four out of ten primary schools in the UK experienced cyber attacks, putting children's data and privacy on the line. Cyber criminals use all sorts of tactics to hack into a system and get access to sensitive data, such as passwords, credit card numbers, and personal information.
The most common type of cyber attack is phishing emails, where the fraudsters send convincing emails or messages impersonating reputable sources. One click on the link will allow hackers to enter the system. Educate your kids about these tactics and why they should never open spam emails or messages from strangers.
Use a VPN to Protect Privacy
While online, your kid may engage with dozens of strangers using social media or being active on interactive games. Unfortunately, this also means they can end up chatting with a potential child predator who fakes their identity and shows common interests.
If you're wondering, what is a VPN, it encrypts your child's internet connection and masks their real location, making it significantly harder for third parties to track them.
A VPN won't replace conversations about who your child talks to online, but as one layer of a broader approach to privacy, it's worth considering, particularly on shared or public Wi-Fi networks where data is easiest to intercept.
Never Share Personal Information
Most of the apps and websites ask for personal information, such as name, age, and email. Your kids can have throwaway names and an email to give out every time someone asks for them. Their personal information is data that companies are willing to trade for their own gains.
Moreover, when they are playing online games, their username should not reveal identifying details like their name and age. A bad username example is Jhonny2014. However, usernames like Greendragon111 will keep their identity hidden from malicious users.
Start Them Early
Children are easy targets if they have full access to the internet without the knowledge of how to protect themselves. It is never too early to start informing and advising your kids about keeping their online privacy. Make sure your kid knows how important their personal data is.
