Before giving a child a phone, tablet, or laptop, parents should take proactive steps to safeguard them online. Here are five practical strategies to set boundaries, build trust, and promote digital safety:
Establish clear digital rules: Define expectations around screen time, apps, social media, privacy, and online communication before handing over a device.
Teach children to spot risks: Help them recognise strangers, inappropriate content, cyberbullying, scams, and attempts to manipulate or exploit.
Encourage open communication: Create an environment where children feel safe reporting anything frightening, confusing, or uncomfortable online.
Balance protection with opportunity: Remind children that just as we protect them in the physical world, we must also safeguard them in the digital one.
Highlight the internet’s benefits: Show them how to use technology to read, research, learn new skills, connect with others, and explore opportunities.
The internet is not something we can—or should—completely restrict. While risks exist, it also offers immense opportunities for learning, creativity, and connection. By combining clear boundaries with trust and guidance, parents can help children thrive safely in the digital world. But just as we would not send a child into a busy street without teaching them how to cross safely, we should not hand a child a smartphone or tablet and simply expect them to know how to navigate the internet.
The digital world has its own dangers.
Children face real risks online. Strangers may deliberately target them, and threats can come in the form of bullies, scammers, sexual predators, or individuals seeking to manipulate them into sharing private information, photos, or videos. Harmful content can also appear within seconds—sometimes without a child even searching for it.
Because children are still developing emotionally and mentally, they may not fully grasp the seriousness of what they encounter, what they are asked to do, or what they share online. That is why online safety must begin before a device is handed over—not after something has gone wrong. No parent wants to discover that their child has been exposed to explicit material, pressured to send inappropriate images, or persuaded to reveal sensitive personal or family details.
The encouraging news is that parents do not need to be technology experts to protect their children. With simple, practical steps taken before giving a phone, tablet, or laptop, families can create a safer digital environment. Here are 5 important things every parent and guardian should consider.
1. Set clear digital boundaries
Before your child starts using a device, have a conversation about what they can and cannot do with it. Do not wait until they have already downloaded several apps or created multiple social media accounts before setting the rules. Explain when the device can be used, where it can be used and what it can be used for. Be clear about things such as screen time, online games, social media, chatting with strangers, sharing photographs and visiting websites.
Most importantly, explain why the rules exist. A child is more likely to respect a rule when they understand that the purpose is not to punish them but to keep them safe.
2. Be present, not just protective
Purchasing a phone for your child and setting up parental controls is not enough; your involvement is essential. Engage with your child by asking about the content they are watching, the games they are playing, and the apps they enjoy. Instead of sounding like an interrogation with questions like, “Who are you chatting with?” try asking, “What do you like about this app?” or “What type of content do people share there?”
These kinds of conversations can help you understand your child’s online experiences without making them feel as if every discussion is an investigation. Parents often make the mistake of showing interest in their children’s online activities only when issues arise. By that point, the child may be too afraid to speak up. Make it a priority to show interest early on.
3. Educate them before they explore
One of the biggest mistakes we can make as parents is assuming that our children will learn online safety naturally. They won’t. We have to teach them. Before handing over a device, talk to your child about strangers online, inappropriate content, cyberbullying, scams, privacy and the dangers of sharing photographs.
Tell them that not everyone online is who they claim to be. A person who says they are 13 may not be 13. Someone who presents themselves as a friend may have completely different intentions. Teach your child never to arrange a physical meeting with someone they met online without involving a trusted adult.
Also teach them that nobody online should pressure them to keep secrets from their parents or guardians. And this is particularly important when it comes to sexual content. Children should know that if someone asks them for a nude or inappropriate photograph, sends them one, or asks them to do something that makes them uncomfortable, they should tell a trusted adult immediately. They should know that they will not be blamed for coming forward.
4. Create offline strength
A child whose entire world revolves around screens can become particularly vulnerable to online experiences. This is why we should not only teach children how to use technology but also help them build a fulfilling life outside of it. Encourage participation in sports, reading, hobbies, friendships, family conversations, community activities, and creative endeavours.
It’s important to allow children time to simply be children, without a screen in front of them. The goal should not be to instil a hatred for technology but to ensure that technology is just one part of their lives, rather than their whole existence.
5. Protect their digital footprint
Before your child starts using a device, explain that what goes online can be difficult to take back.
A photograph can be saved.
A message can be forwarded.
A video can be downloaded.
A comment made in anger can remain online long after the child has forgotten about it.
Teach your children to think before posting or sending anything.
They should understand that private information such as their home address, school details, passwords, phone numbers and family financial information should not be casually shared online.
Parents also need to think about their own role in protecting their children’s digital footprint. We should be careful about what we post about our children, including their photographs, school information, locations and personal moments. Protecting a child’s privacy starts with the adults around them.
Conclusion
Giving a child a phone is no longer simply about giving them a device for communication. You are giving them access to a world. That world has knowledge, opportunities, friendships and entertainment. But it also has people and situations that children may not yet be mature enough to handle on their own.
Let them know that if they ever find themselves in a frightening, confusing or uncomfortable situation online, they can come home and talk to you.
