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NETCETERAChattingwithKidsAboutBeingOnlineCommunicatingonlineisawayoflife,yetitcomeswithcertainrisks:InappropriateconductTheonlineworldcanfeelanonymous.
Kidssometimesforgetthatthey'restillaccountablefortheiractions.
InappropriatecontactSomepeopleonlinehavebadintentions.
Theymightbebullies,predators,hackers,orscammers.
InappropriatecontentYoumaybeconcernedthatyourkidscouldfindpornography,violence,orhatespeechonline.
Technologyisconstantlyevolving.
Soaretherisksassociatedwithit.
Youcanreducetheserisksbytalkingtoyourkidsabouthowtheycommunicate—onlineandoff—andencouragingthemtothinkcriticallyandactinawaytheycanbeproudof.
TalkingtoYourKids2CommunicatingatDifferentAges4SocializingOnline8UsingMobileDevices12MakingComputerSecurityaHabit18ProtectingYourChild'sPrivacy23ThisguidefromtheFederalTradeCommissioncoversissuestoraisewithkidsaboutlivingtheirlivesonline.
connectingwithfriendsandfamilyonlinesharingphotosandvideosfrommobiledevicesbuildingonlineprofilesandreputationssharingwhatthey'redoing—andwheretheyaredownloadingappsandaccessingcontentPeopleofallagesare:2//onguardonline.
gov//3TalkingtoYourKidsThebestwaytoprotectyourkidsonlineTalktothem.
Whilekidsvaluetheopinionsoftheirpeers,mosttendtorelyontheirparentsforhelpontheissuesthatmattermost.
Startearly.
Youngkidsseetheirparentsusingallkindsofdevices—andalsomightbeplayinggamesorwatchingshowsonthem.
Assoonasyourchildstartsusingaphone,mobiledevice,orcomputer,it'stimetotalktothemaboutonlinebehaviorandsafety.
Initiateconversations.
Evenifyourkidsarecomfortableapproachingyou,don'twaitforthemtostarttheconversation.
Useeverydayopportunitiestotalktoyourkidsaboutbeingonline.
Forexample,newsstoriesaboutcyberbullyingortextingwhiledrivingcanspuraconversationwithkidsabouttheirexperiencesandyourexpectations.
Communicateyourexpectations.
Behonestaboutyourexpectationsandhowtheyapplyinanonlinecontext.
Communicatingyourvaluesclearlycanhelpyourkidsmakesmarterandmorethoughtfuldecisionswhentheyfacetrickysituations.
Forinstance,bespecificaboutwhat'soff-limits—andwhatyouconsidertobeunacceptablebehavior.
Bepatientandsupportive.
Resisttheurgetorushthroughtheseconversationswithyourkids.
Mostkidsneedtohearinformationrepeated,insmalldoses,forittosinkin.
Ifyoukeeptalkingwithyourkids,yourpatienceandpersistencewillpayoffinthelongrun.
Workhardtokeepthelinesofcommunicationopen,evenifyoulearnyourkidhasdonesomethingonlinethatyoufindinappropriate.
Listeningandtakingtheirfeelingsintoaccounthelpskeepconversationsafloat.
Youmaynothavealltheanswers,andbeinghonestaboutthatcangoalongway.
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gov//5CommunicatingatDifferentAgesYoungKidsSupervisionisimportant.
Whenveryyoungchildrenstartusingmobiledevicesoracomputer,theyshouldbesupervisedcloselybyaparentorcaregiver.
Iflittlekidsaren'tsupervisedonline,theymaystumbleontocontentthatcouldscareorconfusethem.
Whenyou'recomfortablethatyouryoungchildrenarereadytoexploreontheirown,it'sstillimportanttostayinclosetouch.
Youmaywanttorestrictaccesstositesorappsthatyou'vevisitedandknowtobeappropriate—atleastintermsoftheireducationalorentertainmentvalue.
Considerparentalcontrols.
Ifyou'reconcernedaboutwhatyourkidsseeonline,considertoolswiththesefeatures:Filteringandblocking.
Thesetoolslimitaccesstocertainsites,words,orimages.
Someproductsdecidewhat'sfiltered;othersleavethattoparents.
Somefiltersapplytowebsites;otherstoemailandchat.
Blockingoutgoingcontent.
Thissoftwarepreventskidsfromsharingpersonalinformationonlineorviaemail.
Limitingtime.
Thissoftwareallowsyoutolimityourkid'stimeonlineandsetthetimeofdaytheycanaccesstheinternet.
Browsersforkids.
Thesebrowsersfilterwordsorimagesyoudon'twantyourkidstosee.
Kid-orientedsearchengines.
Theseperformlimitedsearchesorfiltersearchresultsforsitesandmaterialappropriateforkids.
Monitoringtools.
Softwarethatalertsparentstoonlineactivitywithoutblockingaccess.
Sometoolsrecordtheaddressesofwebsitesachildhasvisited;othersprovideawarningmessagewhenakidvisitscertainsites.
Monitoringtoolscanbeusedwithorwithoutakid'sknowledge.
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gov//7TweensTweensneedtofeel"independent"butnotaloneastheystartexploringontheirown.
Many8-to12-year-oldsareadeptatfindinginformationonline,buttheystillneedguidancetohelpthemunderstandwhichsourcesaretrustworthy.
Thinkaboutlimits.
Considersettinglimitsonhowlongandhowoftentheycanbeonline—whetheroncomputers,phones,orothermobiledevices.
Foryoungertweens,parentalcontrolscanbeeffective.
However,manymiddleschoolkidshavethetechnicalknow-howtogetaroundthosecontrols.
TeensTeensareformingtheirownvaluesandbeginningtotakeonthevaluesoftheirpeers.
Manyareeagertoexperiencemoreindependencefromtheirparents.
However,theyneedtolearnhowtoexercisejudgmentaboutbeingsafeonlineandactinaccordancewiththeirfamilyethic.
Teenshavemoreinternetaccessthroughmobiledevices—aswellasmoretimetothemselves—soitisn'trealisticforyoutotrytobeinthesameroomwhenthey'reonline.
Theyneedtoknowthatyouandotherfamilymemberscanaskthemaboutwhatthey'redoingonline.
WhatCanYouDoTalkaboutcredibility.
It'simportanttoemphasizetheconceptofcredibility.
Eventhemosttech-savvykidsneedtounderstandthat:noteverythingtheyseeontheinternetistruepeopleonlinemaynotbewhotheyappeartobeorsaytheyareinformationorimagestheysharecanbeseenfarandwideoncesomethingispostedonline,it'snearlyimpossibleto"takeitback"Talkaboutmanners.
Becausetheydon'tseefacialexpressions,bodylanguage,andothervisualcues,teensandtweensmayfeelfreetodoorsaythingsonlinethattheywouldn'toffline.
Remindthemthatrealpeoplewithrealfeelingsarebehindprofiles,screennames,andavatars.
Talkaboutexpectations.
Whenyoutalktoyourkids,setreasonableexpectations.
Anticipatehowyouwillreactifyoufindoutthatthey'vedonesomethingonlineyoudon'tapproveof.
Ifyourchildconfidesinyouaboutsomethingscaryorinappropriatethey'veencounteredonline,trytoworktogethertopreventitfromhappeningagain.
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gov//9SocializingOnlineKidssharepictures,videos,thoughts,plans,andtheirwhereaboutswithfriends,family,andsometimes,theworldatlarge.
Socializingonlinecanhelpkidsconnectwithothers,butit'simportanttohelpyourchildlearnhowtonavigatethesespacessafely.
OversharingSomepitfallsthatcomewithonlinesocializingaresharingtoomuchinformation,orpostingpictures,videos,orwordsthatcandamageareputationorhurtsomeone'sfeelings.
Applyingreal-worldjudgmentandsensecanhelpminimizethosedownsides.
WhatcanyoudoRemindyourkidsthatonlineactionshaveconsequences.
Thewordskidswriteandtheimagestheyposthaveconsequencesoffline.
Kidsshouldpostonlywhatthey'recomfortablewithothersseeing.
Partsofyourchildren'sprofilesmaybeseenbyabroaderaudiencethanyou—orthey—arecomfortablewith,eveniftheyuseprivacysettings.
Encourageyourkidstothinkaboutthelanguagetheyuseonline,andtothinkbeforepostingpicturesandvideos,oralteringphotospostedbysomeoneelse.
Employers,collegeadmissionsofficers,coaches,teachers,andthepolicemayviewtheseposts.
Remindkidsthatoncetheypostit,theycan'ttakeitback.
Eveniftheydeletetheinformationfromasite,theyhavelittlecontroloverolderversionsthatmaybesavedonotherpeople'sdevicesandmaycirculateonline.
Andamessagethat'ssupposedtodisappearfromafriend'sphoneThere'ssoftwarethatletsthemkeepit.
Tellkidstolimitwhattheyshare.
Helpyourkidsunderstandwhatinformationshouldstayprivate.
Tellthemwhyit'simportanttokeepsomethings—aboutthemselves,familymembers,andfriends—tothemselves.
InformationliketheirSocialSecuritynumber,streetaddress,phonenumber,andfamilyfinancialinformationisprivateandshouldstaythatway.
Talktoyourteensaboutavoidingsextalkonline.
Teenswhodon'ttalkaboutsexwithstrangersonlinearelesslikelytocomeincontactwithpredators.
Infact,researchershavefoundthatpredatorsusuallydon'tposeaschildrenorteens,andmostteenswhoarecontactedbyadultstheydon'tknowfinditcreepy.
Teensshouldnothesitatetoignoreorblockthem,andtrusttheirgutwhensomethingfeelswrong.
Sendgroupmessageswithcare.
Suggestthatyourkidsthinkaboutwhoneedstoseetheirmessagebeforesendingtomultiplepeople.
Limitaccesstoyourkids'profiles.
Useprivacysettings.
Manysocialnetworkingsites,chat,andvideoaccountshaveadjustableprivacysettings,soyouandyourkidscanrestrictwhohasaccesstokids'profiles.
Talktoyourkidsaboutthe10//onguardonline.
gov//11importanceofthesesettings,andyourexpectationsforwhoshouldbeallowedtoviewtheirprofile.
Reviewyourchild'sfriendslist.
Suggestthatyourkidslimitonline"friends"topeopletheyactuallyknow.
Askaboutwhothey'retalkingtoonline.
CyberbullyingCyberbullyingisbullyingorharassmentthathappensonline.
Itcanhappeninanemail,atextmessage,anonlinegame,oronasocialnetworkingsite.
Itmightinvolverumorsorimagespostedonsomeone'sprofileorcirculatedforotherstosee.
WhatcanyoudoHelppreventcyberbullying.
Talktoyourkidsaboutbullying.
Tellyourkidsthattheycan'thidebehindthewordstheytypeandtheimagestheypostorsend.
Bullyingisalose-losesituation:Hurtfulmessagesmakethetargetfeelbad,andtheymakethesenderlookbad.
Oftentheycanbringscornfrompeersandpunishmentfromauthorities.
Tellyourkidstotalktoyouaboutbullying,too.
Askyourkidstoletyouknowifanonlinemessageorimagemakesthemfeelthreatenedorhurt.
Recognizethesignsofacyberbully.
Cyberbullyingofteninvolvesmean-spiritedcomments.
Checkoutyourkid'ssocialnetworkingpagesfromtimetotimetoseewhatyoufind.
CouldyourkidbethebullyLookforsignsofbullyingbehavior,suchascreatingmeanimagesofanotherkid.
Helpstopcyberbullying.
Mostkidsdon'tbully,andthere'snoreasonforanyonetoputupwithit.
Ifyourkidsseecyberbullyinghappeningtosomeoneelse,encouragethemtotrytostopitbytellingthebullytostop,andbynotengagingorforwardinganything.
Onewaytohelpstopbullyingonlineistoreportittothesiteornetworkwhereyouseeit.
Whattodoaboutacyberbully.
Don'treacttothebully.
Ifyourchildistargetedbyacyberbully,keepacoolhead.
Remindyourchildthatmostpeoplerealizebullyingiswrong.
Tellyourchildnottorespondinkind.
Instead,encourageyourkidtoworkwithyoutosavetheevidenceandtalktoyouaboutit.
Ifthebullyingpersists,sharetherecordwithschoolofficialsorlocallawenforcement.
Protectyourchild'sprofile.
Ifyourchildfindsaprofilethatwascreatedoralteredwithouttheirpermission,contactthesitetohaveittakendown.
Blockordeletethebully.
Deletethebullyfromfriendslistsorblocktheirusername,emailaddress,andphonenumber.
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gov//13UsingMobileDevicesWhatageisappropriateforakidtohaveaphoneoramobiledeviceThat'ssomethingforyouandyourfamilytodecide.
Consideryourkid'sage,personality,maturity,andyourfamily'scircumstances.
WhatCanYouDoPhones,Features,andOptionsDecideontherightoptionsandfeatures.
Yourwirelesscompanyandmobilephoneshouldgiveyousomechoicesforprivacysettingsandchildsafetycontrols.
Mostcarriersallowparentstoturnofffeatureslikewebaccess,texting,ordownloading.
Somecellphonesaremadeespeciallyforchildren.
They'redesignedtobeeasytouse,andhavefeatureslikelimitedinternetaccess,minutemanagement,numberprivacy,andemergencybuttons.
Getsmartaboutsmartphones.
Manyphonesofferwebaccessandmobileapps.
Ifyourchildrenaregoingtouseaphoneandyou'reconcernedaboutwhattheymightfindonline,chooseaphonewithlimitedinternetaccessorturnonwebfiltering.
Getfamiliarwithlocation-basedservices.
ManymobilephoneshaveGPStechnologyinstalled.
Kidswiththesephonescanpinpointwheretheirfriendsare—andbepinpointedbytheirfriends.
Tellyourkidstolimitthesefeaturessothey'renotbroadcastingtheirlocationtotheworld.
Explainthattherecanbedownsidestolettinganyoneandeveryoneknowwheretheyare.
Inaddition,somecarriersofferGPSservicesthatletparentsmaptheirkid'slocation.
Password-protectphones.
Apassword,numericcode,gesture,orfingerprintcanlockaphonefromintruders.
Notonlycanthisprevent"pocket-dialing,"butitalsocanhelpkeepinformationandphotosfromfallingintothewronghands.
DevelopRulesExplainwhatyouexpect.
Talktoyourkidsaboutwhenandwhereit'sappropriatetousetheirphonesandothermobiledevices.
Youalsomaywanttoestablishrulesforresponsibleuse.
Doyouallowcalls,texting,orplayinggamesonappsatthedinnertableDoyouhaverulesaboutcellphoneuseatnightShouldtheygiveyoutheirphoneswhilethey'redoinghomework,orwhenthey'resupposedtobesleepingSetanexample.
It'sillegaltodrivewhiletextingortalkingonthephonewithoutahands-freedeviceinmoststates,butit'sdangerouseverywhere.
Setanexampleforyourkids,andtalktothemaboutthedangersandconsequencesofdistracteddriving.
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gov//15MobileSharingandNetworkingSocializingandsharingon-the-gocanfostercreativityandfun,butcouldcauseproblemsrelatedtopersonalreputationandsafety.
Usecarewhensharingphotosandvideos.
Mostmobilephoneshavecameraandvideocapability,makingiteasyforteenstocaptureandshareeverymoment.
Encouragekidstogetpermissionfromthephotographerorthepersonintheshotbeforepostingvideosorphotos.
It'seasiertobesmartupfrontaboutwhatmediatheysharethantododamagecontrollater.
Usegoodjudgmentwithsocialnetworkingfromamobiledevice.
Thefiltersyou'veinstalledonyourhomecomputerwon'tlimitwhatkidscandoonamobiledevice.
Talktoyourteensaboutusinggoodsensewhenthey'resocialnetworkingfromtheirphones,too.
MobileAppsWhatshouldIknowaboutappsAppsmight:collectandsharepersonalinformationletyourkidsspendrealmoney—eveniftheappisfreeincludeadslinktosocialmediaButtheappsmightnottellyouthey'redoingit.
WhatCanYouDoHere'swhatyouandyourkidscandotolearnaboutanappbeforeyoudownloadit:lookatscreenshotsreadthedescription,contentrating,anduserreviewsdosomeresearchonthedeveloper,includingoutsidereviewsfromsourcesyourespectcheckwhatinformationtheappcollects16//onguardonline.
gov//17CanIrestricthowmykidsuseappsBeforeyoupassthephoneortablettoyourkids,takealookatthesettings.
Youmaybeableto:restrictcontenttowhat'srightforyourkid'sagesetapasswordsoappscan'tbedownloadedwithoutit,andkidscan'tbuystuffwithoutitturnoffWi-Fianddataservicesorputthephoneinairplanemodesoitcan'tconnecttotheinternetThebestwaytokeepupwithkids'appsistotrythemoutyourself,andtalktoyourkidsaboutyourrulesforbuyingandusingapps.
TextingEncouragemanners.
Ifyourkidsaretexting,encouragethemtorespectothers.
Textingshorthandcanleadtomisunderstandings.
Tellthemtothinkabouthowatextmessagemightbereadandunderstoodbeforetheysendit.
Safeguardprivacy.
Remindyourkidsto:ignoretextsfrompeopletheydon'tknowlearnhowtoblocknumbersfromtheircellphoneavoidpostingtheircellphonenumberonlineneverprovidepersonalorfinancialinformationinresponsetoatextRecognizetextmessagespam.
Helpyourkidsrecognizetextmessagespamandexplaintheconsequences:itoftenusesthepromiseoffreegifts—orasksyoutoverifyaccountinformation—togetyoutorevealpersonalinformationitcanleadtounwantedchargesonyourcellphonebillitcanslowcellphoneperformanceWhatcanyoudoReviewyourcellphonebillforunauthorizedcharges,andreportthemtoyourcarrier.
Tellyourkids:todeletemessagesthataskforpersonalinformation—evenifthere'sapromiseofafreegift.
Legitimatecompaniesdon'taskforinformationlikeaccountnumbersorpasswordsbyemailortext.
nottoreplyto—orclickon—linksinthemessage.
Linkscaninstallmalwareandtakeyoutospoofsitesthatlookreal,butthatexisttostealyourinformation.
SextingSendingorforwardingsexuallyexplicitphotos,videos,ormessagesfromamobiledeviceisknownas"sexting.
"Tellyourkidsnottodoit.
Inadditiontoriskingtheirreputationandtheirfriendships,theycouldbebreakingthelawiftheycreate,forward,orevensavethiskindofmessage.
Teensmaybelesslikelytomakeabadchoiceiftheyknowtheconsequences.
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gov//19TeachingKidsComputerSecurityTalktoyourkidsabouthowtheycanhelpprotecttheirdevicesandyourfamily'spersonalinformation.
Createstrongpasswords,andkeepthemprivate.
Thelongerthepassword,theharderitistocrack.
Dateofbirth,loginname,orcommonwordsarenotsafepasswords.
Askyourkidstobecreativeandcomeupwithdifferentpasswordsfordifferentaccounts.
Itmaybetemptingtore-usethesamepassword,butifit'sstolen,hackerscanuseittoaccessotheraccounts.
Kidsalsocanprotecttheirpasswordsbynotsharingthemwithanyone,includingtheirfriends.
Don'tprovidepersonalorfinancialinformationunlessthewebsiteissecure.
Ifyouoryourkidssendmessages,sharephotos,usesocialnetworks,orbankonline,you'resendingpersonalinformationovertheinternet.
Teachyourkids:iftheURLdoesn'tstartwithhttps,don'tenteranypersonalinformation.
That"s"standsforsecure.
Itmeanstheinformationyou'resendingisencryptedandprotected.
Watchoutfor"free"stuff.
Freegames,apps,music,andotherdownloadscanhidemalware.
Don'tdownloadanythingunlessyoutrustthesource.
Teachyourkidshowtorecognizereputablesources.
MakingComputerSecurityaHabitThesecurityofyourcomputer,phone,andothermobiledevicescanaffectthesafetyofyouronlineexperience—andthatofyourkids.
Malwarecouldallowsomeonetostealyourfamily'spersonalorfinancialinformation.
Malwareissoftwarethatcan:installvirusesmonitororcontrolyourcomputerusesendunwantedpop-upadsredirectyourdevicetowebsitesyou'renotlookingforrecordyourkeystrokesWhatCanYouDoUsesecuritysoftwareandkeepitupdated.
Well-knowncompaniesofferplentyoffreeoptions.
Setthesoftwaretoupdateautomatically.
Keepyouroperatingsystemandwebbrowserup-to-date.
Hackerstakeadvantageofsoftwarethatdoesn'thavethelatestsecurityupdates.
Youalsocancustomizethebuilt-insecurityandprivacysettingsinyouroperatingsystemorbrowser.
ChecktheToolsorOptionsmenustoexploreyourchoices.
Whileyou'reatit,keepyourappsupdated,too.
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gov//21BecautiousaboutP2Pfile-sharing.
Somekidssharemusic,games,orsoftwareonline.
Peer-to-peer(P2P)file-sharingallowspeopletosharethesekindsoffilesthroughaninformalnetworkofcomputersrunningthesamesoftware.
Sometimesspyware,malware,orpornographycanbehiddeninasharedfile.
Ifyourkidsdownloadcopyrightedmaterial,youcouldbesubjecttolegalaction.
It'simportanttotalktoyourkidsaboutthesecurityandotherrisksinvolvedwithfile-sharing.
Installfile-sharingsoftwareproperly.
Checkthedefaultsettingssothatnothingprivateisshared.
Bydefault,almostallP2Pfile-sharingapplicationswillsharefilesinyour"Downloads"or"Shared"folders.
Ifyousavepersonalfilesinsharedfolders,otherP2Pusersmayaccessfilesyoudon'tmeantoshare—includingprivatedocumentslikeyourtaxreturnsorotherfinancialdocuments.
Usesecuritysoftwaretoscanfiles.
Beforeyourkidsopenorplayanydownloadedfile,usesecuritysoftwaretoscanit.
Makesurethesecuritysoftwareisup-to-dateandrunning.
UsingPublicWi-FiSecurelyManypublicplaces—likecoffeeshops,libraries,andairports—offerWi-Fihotspots.
Thesehotspotscanbeconvenient,butthey'reoftennotsecure.
Thatcouldmakeiteasyforsomeoneelsetoaccessyourfamily'sonlineaccountsorstealyourpersonalinformation—includingprivatedocuments,photos,andpasswords.
WhatCanYouDoUsesecureWi-Finetworks.
Securenetworksuseencryption,whichprotectstheinformationyousendonlinebyscramblingitsootherscan'taccessit.
Youcanbesurethatanetworkissecureonlyifyou'reaskedtoprovideaWPAorWPA2password.
Tellyourkidsifthey'renotaskedforapassword,theyshouldn'tusethatnetworktosignintoaccountsorsendanypersonalinformation.
Anddon'tassumethataWi-Fihotspotusesencryption:mostofthemdon't.
Usesecurewebsites.
Asecuresitewillencryptyourinformationwhileyouaresignedintoit—evenifthenetworkdoesn't.
HowwillyourkidsknowifasiteissecureTellthemtolookforhttpsinthewebaddressofeverypagetheyvisit—notjustwhentheylogin.
The"s"standsforsecure.
Don'tstaypermanentlysignedintoaccounts.
Recommendthatyourkidslogoutwhenthey'vefinishedusingasite.
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gov//23PhishingScamsPhishingiswhenscamartistssendtexts,emails,orpop-upmessagestogetpeopletosharetheirpersonalandfinancialinformation.
Scammersusethisinformationtoaccessyouraccounts,stealyouridentity,andcommitfraud.
WhatCanYouDoHere'showyouandyourkidscanavoidgettingtrickedbyscamartists.
Don'treplytotexts,emails,orpop-upmessagesthataskforpersonalorfinancialinformation,anddon'tclickonanylinksinthemessage.
Becautiousaboutopeninganyattachmentsordownloadinganyfilesfromemailsyoureceive,regardlessofwhosentthem.
Unexpectedfilesmaycontainvirusesthatyourfriendsorfamilymembersdidn'tknowwerethere.
Getyourkidsinvolved,sotheycandeveloptheirscam"antennas"andcarefulinternethabits.
Lookforteachablemoments—ifyougetaphishingmessage,showittoyourkidstohelpthemunderstandthatthingsaren'talwayswhattheyseem.
Howtoreportphishingscams.
Forwardphishingemailstospam@uce.
gov.
Theywillbeaddedtoadatabasethatlawenforcementagenciesusetopursueinvestigations.
Ifyouoryourkidsweretrickedbyaphishingscam,fileacomplaintatftc.
gov/complaint.
ProtectingYourChild'sPrivacyAsaparent,youhavecontroloverthepersonalinformationcompaniescollectonlinefromyourkidsunder13.
TheChildren'sOnlinePrivacyProtectionAct(COPPA)givesyoutoolstodothat.
TheFederalTradeCommissionenforcestheCOPPARule.
IfasiteorserviceiscoveredbyCOPPA,ithastogetyourconsentbeforecollectingpersonalinformationfromyourchildandithastohonoryourchoicesabouthowthatinformationisused.
WhatisCOPPATheCOPPARulewasputinplacetoprotectkids'personalinformationonwebsitesandonlineservices—includingapps—thataredirectedtochildrenunder13.
TheRulealsoappliestoageneralaudiencesitethatknowsit'scollectingpersonalinformationfromkidsthatage.
COPPArequiresthosesitesandservicestonotifyparentsdirectlyandgettheirapprovalbeforetheycollect,use,ordiscloseachild'spersonalinformation.
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gov//25PersonalinformationintheworldofCOPPAincludesakid's:nameaddressphotos,videos,andaudiorecordingsofthechildpersistentidentifiers,likeIPaddresses,thatcanbeusedtotrackachild'sactivitiesovertimeandacrossdifferentwebsitesandonlineservicesHowDoesCOPPAWorkLet'ssayyourchildwantstousefeaturesonasiteordownloadanappthatcollectstheirpersonalinformation.
Beforetheycan,youshouldgetaplainlanguagenoticeaboutwhatinformationthesitewillcollect,howitwilluseit,andhowyoucanprovideyourconsent.
Thenoticeshouldlinktoaprivacypolicythat'seasytounderstand.
Theprivacypolicymustgivedetailsaboutthekindofinformationthesitecollects,andwhatitmightdowiththeinformation—say,ifitplanstousetheinformationtotargetadvertisingtoachild,orgiveorselltheinformationtoothercompanies.
Inaddition,thepolicyshouldtellyouhowtocontactsomeonewhocanansweryourquestions.
Sitesandserviceshavesomeflexibilityinhowtheygetyourconsent.
Forexample,somemayaskyoutosendbackapermissionslip.
Othersmayhaveatoll-freenumberyoucancall.
Ifyouagreetoletthesiteorservicecollectpersonalinformationfromyourchild,ithasalegalobligationtokeepitsecure.
WhatAreYourChoicesUnderstandthesite'sinformationpractices.
Startbyreadinghowthecompanyplanstouseyourchild'sinformation.
Bepickywithyourpermission.
Decidehowmuchconsentyouwanttogive.
Forexample,youmightgivethecompanypermissiontocollectyourchild'spersonalinformation,butnotallowittosharethatinformationwithothers.
Knowyourrights.
Onceyougiveasiteorservicepermissiontocollectpersonalinformationfromyourchild,you'restillincontrol.
Astheparent,youhavetherighttoreviewtheinformationcollectedaboutyourchild.
Ifyouasktoseetheinformation,keepinmindthatwebsiteoperatorsneedtomakesureyouaretheparentbeforeprovidingyouaccess.
Youalsohavetherighttoretractyourconsentanytime,andtohaveinformationcollectedaboutyourchilddeleted.
WhatifitlookslikeasiteorserviceisbreakingtherulesIfyouthinkasitehascollectedinformationfromyourkidsormarketedtotheminawaythatviolatesthelaw,reportittotheFTCatftc.
gov/complaint.
phonenumberoremailaddressphysicalwhereaboutsTogetfreecopiesofthisbrochureandrelatedmaterials,visitOnGuardOnline.
gov/netceteraJanuary2014