Online Safety for Youth

This comprehensive guide addresses online safety for youth, emphasizing that dangerous content and risky situations are pervasive realities rather than rare occurrences. Research shows alarming statistics including 43% of young adults seeing self-harm content on Instagram, 20% of teens exchanging nude photos, and a 323% increase in online child enticement between 2021 and 2023. Experts recommend establishing open, judgment-free communication from early ages, considering "training wheels" smartphones with parental controls before full access, teaching digital media literacy skills, and helping children monitor their own emotional responses to media use. The guide emphasizes mentoring over restriction, modeling safe tech behaviors, staying calm if dangerous situations arise, and recognizing that children's vulnerability often stems from offline stressors like family conflict or academic worries. Ultimately, while families should implement safety strategies, experts stress that systemic change through government regulation and platform accountability is essential, as keeping children safe online shouldn't be solely parents' responsibility.

Learn more at Children and Screens.