Protect Accounts and Device

     It is critical that your child use passwords on everything to prevent cyberbullying and similar behaviors such as catfishing. Passwords are one of the most effective methods of safeguarding accounts and devices.

 

     Make it clear to your child that they should never share their passwords with anyone, including their best friend. Even if they trust that friend implicitly, the reality is that friends come and go, and there is no guarantee they will remain friends indefinitely.

 

Use Privacy Tools and Setting

     Whatever your teen does online, make sure they are aware of the organization's privacy settings and tools. Privacy settings are available on almost every social media platform, including Instagram, Twitter, SnapChat, and TikTok.

 

     Go through each account with your child and assist them in setting their privacy settings to the most secure. This includes making accounts private, preventing people from tagging them, and requiring others to obtain permission before sharing one of their photos, among other things.

 

Keep Personal Stuff Private

     Children should never give out their address, phone number, or email address online. They should be cautious about disclosing too much information about where they go to      school, especially if they have online friends or followers they don't know well.

 

     Remind them that people online are not always who they claim to be. Even though the profile photo is of a teenage girl, this does not imply that the person behind the account is also a teen. Someone could be impersonating a young girl in order to gather information on other teenagers.

 

Teach them to think before posting

     Encourage your tweens and teens to take their time before posting. For example, they could create a post offline and then return to it in an hour to decide whether or not to post it. This will prevent them from posting things they may later regret.

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     Cyberbullies may use what your child posts against them in some way, so encouraging your child to think before posting may be beneficial. Of course, if someone wants to use something against them, it doesn't matter what it is.

 

     Your child, on the other hand, will be able to think through what they are posting if they take their time crafting a post.