Kids are growing up in a world where being online is simply part of everyday life.

They use phones, tablets, gaming consoles, school laptops, social media, messaging apps, YouTube, and online games. And while the internet gives kids incredible opportunities to learn, communicate, and have fun, it also creates privacy and security risks that parents didn’t have to think about when they were growing up.

The good news is that protecting your kids online doesn’t require you to become a cybersecurity expert.

A few changes to your family’s accounts, devices, and online habits can dramatically reduce the amount of personal information available to strangers.

Here are some of the most important things parents should do.

1. Make Your Family’s Social Media Accounts Private

Start with one of the easiest changes.

If your Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or other social account is primarily for friends and family, consider making it private.

Public accounts allow virtually anyone to view the photos, videos, locations, activities, and other information you post.

That information can add up quickly.

A single account might reveal:

• Your child’s name
• What they look like
• Their approximate age
• Their school
• Sports teams they play for
• Places your family regularly visits
• Vacation destinations
• Birthdays
• Friends and family members
• Your neighborhood or city

None of those details may seem particularly dangerous individually. The problem is what happens when someone combines them.

A stranger may be able to build a surprisingly detailed picture of your family’s life simply by scrolling through several months or years of posts.

Quick fix: Review the privacy settings on every social network you regularly use and limit posts to people you actually know.

2. Think Before Posting Photos of Your Kids

Parents have always taken photos of their children.

The difference today is where those photos go.

A picture that once stayed inside a family photo album can now potentially be copied, downloaded, screenshotted, reposted, or analyzed by someone you’ve never met.

Artificial intelligence adds another concern.

The FBI warns that photos, videos, and audio posted online can potentially be used by others to create AI-generated or AI-modified content, including deepfakes. citeturn764973search9turn764973search8

That doesn’t mean parents should never share family photos.

It means we should become much more selective about where, when, and how we share them.

Before posting, ask yourself:

Does this really need to be public?

If the picture is primarily meant for grandparents, relatives, or close friends, sending it directly through a private message or family group may make more sense than publishing it to a public social media page.

3. Don’t Assume Covering a Face Solves the Privacy Problem

You’ve probably seen parents cover their child’s face with an emoji, sticker, or blur before posting a picture.

That can help reduce facial exposure, but it shouldn’t be treated as complete privacy protection.

There may still be plenty of identifying information in the picture.

Look carefully at the background.

You might unintentionally show:

• A school logo
• Sports uniforms
• Street signs
• House numbers
• License plates
• Business names
• Neighborhood landmarks
• Team names
• Event banners
• Your home’s exterior

Even without GPS information attached to a photo, landmarks and other visual clues can sometimes help someone determine where a picture was taken. Google itself cautions that people may be able to infer a photo’s location based on landmarks even when location information isn’t shared. citeturn874932search0turn874932search2

So don’t just look at your child before posting a photo.

Look at everything around them.

4. Stop Sharing Your Location in Real Time

This is one of the simplest rules families can adopt:

Post about where you were—not necessarily where you are.

Instead of posting:

“Having lunch at the beach right now!”

consider posting the pictures later.

The same principle applies to vacations.

Posting that your entire family just arrived in Hawaii for the next seven days also announces that you’re probably not at home.

Parents should also be careful about repeatedly posting locations connected to their children.

That includes:

• Schools
• Daycare facilities
• Sports practices
• Parks
• Dance studios
• After-school programs
• Bus stops
• Regular walking routes

One post might not reveal much.

A pattern of posts can reveal a routine.

5. Remove Location Information From Photos

Your smartphone may store location information when you take a photo.

This information is commonly stored as part of the photo’s metadata.

Apple explains that when Camera Location Services are enabled, geographic coordinates can be embedded in photos and videos. Apple also gives users the ability to remove that location information or stop the Camera app from collecting it. citeturn764973search1

On an iPhone

To prevent the Camera app from collecting location information:

Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera → Never

You can also remove location information when sharing a specific picture.

From the Photos app:

Photo → Share → Options → Turn off Location

Apple confirms that photos can otherwise include metadata such as location, date, device information, and captions when shared. citeturn764973search0

On Android

Android behavior varies slightly by phone manufacturer and camera app.

Look inside your Camera settings for an option such as:

Location Tags, Save Location, or Location Data

and disable it if you don’t want geographic information stored with your photos.

Google Photos also provides controls for managing location information and deciding whether location details are included with certain shared photos and albums. citeturn874932search0turn874932search2

6. Don’t Publicly Share Your Child’s Personal Information

Parents should treat certain pieces of information almost like passwords.

Avoid publicly posting things such as:

• Full name
• Full birth date
• Home address
• School name
• Phone number
• Personal email address
• Daily schedule
• Regular transportation routine

Even seemingly harmless birthday posts can contribute pieces of personal information that scammers use for social engineering.

Instead of:

“Happy 12th Birthday to John Michael Smith! Born September 12, 2014!”

a simple:

“Happy birthday to our favorite 12-year-old!”

shares considerably less identifying information.

7. Talk to Your Kids About People They Meet Online

Technology settings can only protect children so far.

Parents also need to have regular conversations about online behavior.

Kids interact with strangers through far more than traditional social networks.

Conversations can happen through:

• Roblox
• Minecraft
• Fortnite
• Discord
• Snapchat
• Instagram
• Gaming voice chats
• Messaging apps
• Livestream platforms

One of the biggest misconceptions children can have is assuming someone online is the person they claim to be.

The FBI recommends that kids only friend or follow people they actually know and warns against accepting unsolicited messages or moving conversations with strangers into private messaging platforms. citeturn764973search9

Make sure your kids understand one basic rule:

Someone online saying they’re 13 doesn’t mean they’re actually 13.

8. Parents Need to Understand Sextortion

This is a conversation no parent wants to have, but it has become increasingly important.

The FBI continues to warn families about sextortion, where someone manipulates a child or teenager into providing an explicit photo or video and then threatens to distribute it unless the victim sends more content or money.

These criminals frequently pretend to be another young person.

The FBI says these situations can begin on social networks, games, messaging platforms, or practically anywhere people communicate online. citeturn874932search11turn764973search10

Parents should make one thing very clear to their children:

If something happens online, come tell us.

Children who believe they’ll immediately lose their phone, get grounded, or be punished may be afraid to ask for help.

The FBI specifically encourages young people experiencing these situations to seek help from a trusted adult and report what happened. citeturn874932search11

9. Review Your Child’s Privacy Settings Together

Instead of secretly checking everything your child does, consider making privacy reviews something you do together.

Every few months, sit down and review:

• Who can see their profile
• Who follows them
• Who they follow
• Who can message them
• Who can tag them
• Location-sharing settings
• Gaming friends lists
• App permissions
• Camera permissions
• Microphone permissions
• Photo access

Also remove apps they no longer use.

Many parents spend considerable time protecting their children’s social media accounts while forgetting about games and apps that also contain messaging, friend lists, profiles, cameras, microphones, and location permissions.

10. Use Strong, Unique Passwords

Your child’s accounts deserve the same security as yours.

Avoid passwords based on easily discovered information such as:

• Pet names
• Birthdays
• Sports teams
• School mascots
• Children’s names

Use long, unique passwords for important accounts and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) whenever the service supports it.

A password manager can also make it much easier for families to create unique passwords without having to remember every one.

11. Teach Kids That Screenshots Last Forever

Kids need to understand one fundamental rule of the internet:

Once you send something, you may lose control of it.

Disappearing messages can be screenshotted.

Private photos can be copied.

Group messages can be forwarded.

Videos can be downloaded.

Even messages that are deleted can potentially have been saved by someone else first.

Before sending a picture, message, or video, kids should ask:

Would I be comfortable if someone outside this conversation saw this?

If the answer is no, don’t send it.

The 60-Second Parent Privacy Check

If you only have a minute today, start here:

1. Make personal social profiles private.
2. Turn off photo location tagging if you don’t need it.
3. Stop posting your children’s location in real time.
4. Remove school names, birthdays, and other identifying information from public profiles.
5. Review who follows your children.
6. Turn on multi-factor authentication.
7. Tell your kids they can come to you if something uncomfortable happens online.

You don’t need to remove your family from the internet.

You just need to be more intentional about what information you’re giving the internet.

Parents Don’t Need to Be Technology Experts

Online safety can feel overwhelming because technology changes quickly.

Artificial intelligence, deepfakes, new social platforms, online games, and messaging apps will continue evolving.

But the basic strategy doesn’t really change.

Share less publicly. Protect accounts. Limit location information. Know who your kids communicate with. And keep talking to them about what happens online.

The FTC’s guidance for parents makes a similar point: protecting children online isn’t just a technology problem. Conversations between parents and children remain one of the most important parts of online safety. citeturn874932search13

Technology can provide guardrails.

Parents provide the guidance.