- Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation
Keeping children and teens safe online can be challenging. We’re living in a constantly growing, ever-evolving digital world. Children become easy targets due to a lack of internet safety knowledge, and teenagers’ emotional vulnerability make it easier for scammers to build fake trust and manipulate information out of them. Not to mention, the amount of time kids, teens, and adults alike spend online increases the chances of running into scams, fraud, and hackers.
It’s best to start teaching internet safety from a young age while children have someone to support them through navigating challenges. That way, when they’re ready to go out into the world, they know how to keep themselves and their information safe. The digital world isn’t going away, so it is important to learn how to balance our real lives with our online selves. Learn how to educate yourself and your family to keep everyone safer online.
Common Scams Targeting Kids and Teens
Shopping & Finance Scams
- Fake online stores — Scammers create fake websites “selling” popular items for cheap. But when someone tries to make a purchase, the site steals their payment information.
- Financial aid — Scammers trick college-ready teenagers into applying for fake scholarships and financial aid, requiring them to provide personal information or payment before receiving the “money.”
- Money transfer — Scammers send users money on apps like Venmo and Cash App, then claim the money was sent accidentally, asking for it back. However, the original payment never goes through, resulting in lost funds.
Game Scams
- Fake contests — Scammers pretend to host a giveaway or other contest, requiring “entrees” to share personal information, provide payment, or download malware.
- Online gaming — Scammers promise free in-game currency, character customizations, or other online items to get children to share personal information, provide payment, or click on malicious links.
- Quizzes — Scammers use online quizzes to get information like birthdays, addresses, information about relatives, and more. This type of information is commonly used in security questions, which if hacked, can then be used to get into password-protected spaces.
Social Scams
- Online friends — Scammers pretend to be kids or teens on social media, gaining their trust and manipulating them into sending personal information, money, and even explicit images (which they then threaten to share online if payment is not given, called “sextortion.”)
- Social media phishing — Scammers create fake social media accounts posing as influencers or popular websites. They then trick their followers into providing personal information, sending payment, or clicking malicious links.
- Talent scouting — Scammers send flattering messages or post enticing ads, requiring “entrants” to pay an entry fee or provide personal information with the promise of being casted as a model or actor.
How to Build (and Keep) Trust
Trust goes both ways, and it’s extremely important to cultivate an environment of security when it comes to online safety.
- Make sure your child knows that your goal is to keep them safe, not invade their privacy.
- Keep an open line of communication.
- Try to stay calm when issues arise. Your immediate reaction is a key factor in how secure your child feels coming forward in the future.
Parental Controls for Increased Protection
Parental controls and privacy settings can be a great tool for children and parents alike. It makes oversight less intensive on caregivers, while still giving children a better feeling of independence and control over their digital habits. Make sure to choose settings that are developmentally appropriate for your child and family, including content filters and screen time limits, and adjust freedoms over time.
However, parental controls aren’t an impenetrable shield, both internally and externally. Content filters aren’t 100 percent effective, and children and teens may get curious and bypass the restrictions. Let your child know what’s restricted and controlled, and don’t change settings without having a conversation.
Age-Appropriate Approaches to Internet Safety
Children and teens can react to media in a range of ways. Make sure to adjust strategies to best fit your child’s needs.
For Young Children (7 years and under)
Young children should always be supervised by a parent or caregiver when on devices.
- Young children can easily come across inappropriate or disturbing content, especially if given free and open access.
- Consider parental control features like filtering, blocking outgoing content, time limits, special browsers and search engines made for kids, monitoring tools, and disabling in-app purchases.
For Tweens (8 – 12 years)
Tweens start to want independence, so this is a good transitionary time for expanding access while still keeping a safe eye on them.
- A lot of tweens are good at finding things online but still may struggle to discern what’s a safe and trustworthy source of information and what’s not.
- Consider setting limits for how much time your child spends online, and how often they’re online.
- Parental controls can be effective, but at this age, a lot of tweens have figured out how to work around them.
For Teens (13 years and older)
Teens are starting to form their own identity and are excited about independence, but still need guidance as their judgement and critical thinking skills develop further.
- Learning about misinformation, fake news, and credibility is important. Even the most observant of people can think something might be true when it isn’t.
- Teens should know how to independently adjust privacy settings so apps and websites only have information that’s necessary to operate.
- Talk about how to spot suspicious financial activity, like red flags on their credit report.
For Parents
- Keep an eye on your child’s credit report to make sure there's no suspicious activity.
- Regularly check in with your child to make sure they're safe.
- Set an example — not only will you form healthier habits, and children are more likely to follow the rules if you’re doing the same.
- Pick the right options for you and your family’s needs.
Making a Safety Plan
It’s important to make sure you and your child have a plan in place if anything goes wrong or gets suspicious.
Make sure your child knows these three steps if they get scammed.
- Immediately stop all communication with the suspect or scammer.
- Don’t delete any messages or evidence.
- Tell a trusted adult.
My Child Was Scammed, What Do I Do?
It can be stressful and frustrating when your child gets scammed, especially if there are finances involved. Try to remain calm while you figure out the situation.
What to Do
- Provide emotional support and reassurance to your child.
- Make sure your child has stopped communicating with the scammer.
- File a report with your local police department.
- File a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a division of the FBI.
- Contact your attorney general’s office (find your state AG here).
- Massachusetts residents can file a consumer complaint here.
What Not to Do
- Don’t tell the scammer you reported or notified law enforcement.
- Don’t continue to engage, send money, or send personal information.
- Don’t get tricked by recovery scams, including “fraud recovery investigators” and “tracing companies” — you’ll only lose more money.
- Don’t prevent your child from getting help.
Resources
Find resources below in English, Spanish/Español, and for the d/Deaf & Hard of Hearing and ASL users.
In English
MA RESIDENTS — File a consumer complaint with the Massachusetts AGO.
NON-MA RESIDENTS — Find the contact information for your state’s Attorney General’s Office on the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) site.
File a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a division of the FBI.
Report a scam to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, or chat online.
Articles from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online
Parents: Talking to your kids about text scams
How To Use Parental Controls To Keep Your Kid Safer Online
How To Protect Your Child From Identity Theft
En Español
Residentes de Massachusetts — Presente una queja de consumidor ante la oficina del fiscal general.
Residentes no de Massachusetts — Encuentre la información de contacto de la Oficina del Fiscal General de su estado en el sitio web de la Asociación Nacional de Fiscales Generales (NAAG).
Presente un informe en el Centro de Denuncias de Delitos (IC3) una división del FBI.
Reporte una estafa a la Comisión Federal de Comercio (FTC).
Línea de Prevención del Suicidio y Crisis: llama o textea 988, o chatear en línea. Extensión de llamada: Para español, marca dos.
Artículos de la Comisión Federal de Comercio (FTC)
Netcétera: Cómo charlar con sus hijos sobre su comportamiento en línea
Mensaje para los padres: Cómo hablar con sus hijos sobre las estafas por mensaje de texto
Cómo proteger a su hijo del robo de identidad infantil
For the d/Deaf & Hard of Hearing and ASL users
Please note that these are additional resources and contact options to specifically serve d/DHH and ASL users. These are intended to supplement what is given above in written English and Spanish to ensure more equal access, not to replace those resources.
Massachusetts residents — Contact the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. MassRelay users: dial 711 and connect via main number: (617) 727-2200.
Contact the Federal Communications Commission’s ASL Consumer Support Line at 844-4-FCC-ASL (844-432-2275).
Washington School for the Deaf: Internet Safety Resources
Staying Safe on Social Media (ASL) by Manitoba School for the Deaf (Video in ASL with optional English captions, English voice-over, and English transcript).
ASL Internet Safety (American Sign Language) by Salem-Keizer Public Schools on how to keep your child safe online. (Video in ASL with non-optional English captions and English transcript).
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: VP/VRS: Dial 988. TTY: Dial 711, then 988. Text conversation: Text 988. You can also chat online.
Deaf Crisis Line: VP/VRS: Dial (321) 800-3323. You can also contact the DCL by web (need a webcam enabled device).
