In this article we will explain how to safeguard your child鈥檚 online experience by teaching them how to protect their personal information and identity from being exposed or exploited by others who find them via the internet. You鈥檒l also learn about various technology tools that block, filter, and monitor your child鈥檚 online activity 鈥� and guidelines for choosing the tools that best address your concerns.
Whatever approach you take, do your best to tailor it to the specific needs of your child and family. If your child has learning or attention issues, be mindful of any special supervision they may need.
Perhaps you can relate to the questions one mother posed: 鈥淗ow do we raise children to live in a world with safe social interactions online? When are they old enough to explore that world on their own? What tools do they need to cope with that world? What tools do I need as a parent? How can we help them to be successful and safe online?鈥�
The answers to these questions aren鈥檛 simple. The best place to start, though, is to understand your role as a parent. Be confident in your ability to learn enough about technology and the internet to prepare your child to navigate the online world safely and successfully. After all, you know your child better than anyone else and have been teaching them how to navigate life from the time they were born.

How to manage and monitor your child鈥檚 internet activity

Just as you have taught your child how to act in public — even when you鈥檙e not with them — you鈥檒l want to teach them how to interact on the internet. How they communicate, and how well they evaluate the trustworthiness and authenticity of other people, are key factors.

Tips for teaching your child to be safe online:

  • Make sure your child understands that people they meet online may not be who or what they seem. is a criminal activity that occurs frequently with a many bad intentions. Explain to your child how the nature of the internet makes it easy for a person to portray themself as someone other than who they are in real life — and why this can be dangerous. A worrisome example is an adult who uses online connections to establish trust with a child as a way of encouraging the child to meet him in person. The seeking to groom, exploit, and manipulate children, with half their victims between the ages of 12 and 15 years old. An alternate scenario is one child pretending to be another child鈥檚 friend online, only to bully them (online or in person) later.
  • Teach your child not to disclose information that is too personal. This, of course, includes your child鈥檚 name, phone number, and address. It also includes photos. If your child does share photographs online, the photos should not contain personally identifying clues (e.g., the name of their school in the background). Less obvious, but equally dangerous information to share includes your child鈥檚 online password(s), school name and location, parties they will attend, and times when they鈥檙e alone (e.g., walking to and from school, at home). It is especially important to help your child develop deliberate strategies to protect themself when they are engaged in fun, lively, direct interactions with other people online. A child needs to understand that even if they believe they are on a friend鈥檚 personal blog, or posting to a message board intended only for classmates, other people may still see their information. A 2023 study titled 鈥溾�� warns that 鈥渄igital kidnapping鈥� of children鈥檚 information on social media sites can lead to identity theft.
  • Check out the privacy policy and terms of service for each website your child visits. Best practices dictate that a website鈥檚 privacy policy should be available through a link on the website鈥檚 homepage and at each area where personal information is collected from users. (The law actually requires this for all websites aimed at children under age 13.) Read the policy closely to learn the kinds of personal information being collected, how it will be used, and whether it will be passed on to third parties. Pokemon, for example, has a page, a , a , and a page. If you find a website that doesn鈥檛 post basic protections for children鈥檚 personal information, ask for details about their information collection practices.

  • Keep the computer in the family room, kitchen, or living room — not in your child鈥檚 bedroom. If your child knows you are observing them — or you could walk by at any time — they may be less tempted to engage in something risky or inappropriate online.
  • Discuss the rules for using the computer and post them nearby.
  • If you aren鈥檛 comfortable with your child using the internet at home when you鈥檙e not there, find alternatives that you consider acceptable (e.g., arranging for your child to log onto the internet at the school library, or use one of the monitoring tools below).

Technology tools to help manage and monitor your child鈥檚 internet access

Many parents express a desire to monitor their kids鈥� online activity, but they aren鈥檛 sure how much 鈥減olicing鈥� is necessary and to what degree they will be interfering with their child鈥檚 normal need for independence. (Read Should you read your child’s texts? here.) Furthermore, they鈥檙e confused about the monitoring options that are available — what they do, how to use them, etc.

There are several technology tools available to help parents manage and monitor their children鈥檚 online activity at home. Keep in mind that none of these tools provide total control, and none of them should be considered a substitute for direct guidance from you as a parent.

Online safety tools for parents

In general, this software works by filtering, blocking, managing, or monitoring the images and information that come into your child鈥檚 world via the internet, as well as the information and messages your child sends out over the internet.

The most common tools include:

  • Keeping children鈥檚 online searches safe: Parental browser controls allow parents to prevent kids from accessing certain inappropriate content via Google searches, for example. This option is free and is built into many internet services. The settings parents can choose vary from one service to the next. Google, for example, provides information on . While parental controls are a good first line of defense, be aware that they may not provide the degree of control you want or need. Still, they are great basic first step.
  • Filtering what your child can and cannot access online: There are a few great apps that allow parents to control the content your child sees on the internet. Some tools allow you to block specific websites, while others are based on keywords the user selects. Be thoughtful in your decisions. For example, blocking pornography by filtering out the letters 鈥淴XX鈥� might also block your child鈥檚 access to a history website that uses Roman numerals. is the top-rated internet filter app in 2024 for families, followed by , including Net Nanny, Family Time Premium, and Norton Family.
  • Monitoring your child鈥檚 communications: Are you concerned that your child is viewing explicit images on their phone, or that they are participating in risky behavior, or being victimized by cyberbullies or online predators? You can keep your child safe with monitoring apps that allow you to read their text and email messages. Bark is again a favorite, but only with Android users. is preferred by iPhone users.

Most manufacturers claim that these technology tools are 鈥渋nvisible鈥� to children, but be aware that a child who is determined and savvy enough can probably circumvent spy equipment.

How to be a wise consumer

In selecting tools to monitor and manage your child鈥檚 Internet activity, you will want to learn as much as you can about the features and reliability of any product you consider. The technology administrator at your child鈥檚 school may be a good person to consult, especially if they have experience managing internet access for a large number of students. Talking to other parents about internet safety and the tools they use may also be helpful.

Know your child

Before you decide whether to monitor your child鈥檚 online activity, and if so, how, ask yourself these questions about your child:

  • How old is your child? It鈥檚 appropriate to shield a young child from inappropriate websites by blocking certain types of content. An older child, however, may be able to handle more mature content and may need access to certain websites in order to do research for school.
  • Does your child have learning or attention problems? How might those difficulties affect their ability to communicate, understand, and use good judgment when interacting with others online?
  • How mature is your child, especially compared to peers? Does your child show good judgment when they encounter something (or someone) who seems too good to be true?
  • What is your child鈥檚 general mindset? Is your child a risk taker? Is your child too trusting of other people?
  • Can you trust your child? Based on your child鈥檚 usual behavior, can you trust them to follow the rules you set about using the internet? When you question your child about it, are you confident they will be honest with you? Will your child follow the rules even when you鈥檙e not watching?
  • Does your child communicate with you about their life in general, including school and activities? Will your child tell you what they鈥檙e doing online?

Your answers to the questions above will help determine the type and level of monitoring you need to put in place.

Legislation to protect kids online

Concern about protecting children on the internet has prompted legislators to establish legal safeguards. However, the current laws have not been updated since 1998. In 2024, the U.S. Senate passed a bill to update to the COPPA law to COPPA 2.0; however, as of February 2025 the U.S. Congress has not addressed the bill. Whether the current law is in place or an update is passed, it’s important to remember that while such protection is valuable, it does not guarantee that people will abide by the rules; more importantly, legal standards do not replace the direct guidance and supervision you need to provide your child.

It may be helpful for you to be aware of the following legislative act:

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

An important federal safeguard in protecting children’s privacy when they network online is the 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The purpose of this act is to protect personal information about a child; it does not directly protect a child from online predators.

  • COPPA requires commercial website operators to take several steps before they collect, use, or disclose personal information from a child under the age of 13.
  • COPPA requires that website operators notify parents about their website’s privacy policies and obtain verifiable consent from a parent or guardian before collecting personal information from children.
  • Website operators must establish and maintain reasonable procedures to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of the personal information they collect.
  • COPPA is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The Children鈥檚 Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) and the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) were . However, neither has been passed by the U.S. Congress yet (as of February 2025).

• COPPA 2.0 would expand on the regulations defined in the 1998 version. The new legislation would ban internet businesses from collecting personal data from users who are under 17 years old without their consent. Additionally, it would ban advertising targeted at children and teens, and it would institutes an 鈥渆raser button鈥� for parents and kids to use if they want to eliminate personal information online.
• KOSA would give parents and kids a variety of tools, safeguards, and transparency measures to protect themselves online. It would require internet platforms to offer protective settings for kids by default, allowing them the option to hide their data, disable addictive product ads, and opt-out of 鈥減ersonalized algorithmic recommendations.鈥�

Ready to log on?

As your child matures and becomes more (or perhaps, less) safe online, you may need to adjust the degree to which you monitor and manage their internet activity. Be vigilant and aware, but foster open communication and trust between you and your child. Your goal will be to provide your child with a balance of training, knowledge, supervision — and a healthy degree of independence.

As one parent described her philosophy about teaching her child to use the internet:

鈥淚 want her to be aware of how the world is and make her choices because she is informed, not sheltered.鈥�

When you reflect on those words, you鈥檒l realize how easily they apply to many aspects of raising a child — not just teaching your how to navigate the internet. Whenever you feel overwhelmed or intimidated by the technology in your child鈥檚 life, remember your strength and wisdom as a parent.