No setting or app can keep a child perfectly safe online. What helps most is a mix of three things: an open relationship where a child can tell you anything, clear family rules, and tools that back those rules up.

1. Talk first, and keep talking

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says that talking with your kids about your family's rules and expectations is key to helping them build good online habits, and that there is no substitute for that conversation. Parental controls support the conversation. They do not replace it.

Ideas to make talking easier:

• Ask about their favorite apps, games, and creators with real curiosity, not only when something goes wrong.
• Tell them, before anything happens, that they can always come to you, and that they will not be in trouble for telling you someone made them uncomfortable.
• Make it clear that if someone ever threatens them or pressures them for pictures, it is never their fault. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) says it directly: the blackmailer is to blame, not the child.

2. Make a family media plan

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers a free, interactive Family Media Plan you can fill out together: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/fmp/Pages/MediaPlan.aspx

The AAP suggests including:

• Screen-free zones and times, such as meals, homework, and bedtime, to strengthen face-to-face family time.
• Screen-free time before bed to help with sleep.
• Quality content that teaches, sparks creativity, or helps kids connect with others.
• Privacy settings and advertising. Review privacy settings together and talk about ads and influencer marketing, so kids learn what is real and what is designed to sell.
• Balance. Make room for reading, outdoor play, and hobbies so screens do not crowd out other important things.
• Everyone in the family, including adults. Parents are role models for healthy digital habits.
• Regular check-ins. Review the plan at the start of a school year or during breaks, and update it as children grow.

3. Set up parental controls

The FTC explains that most parental controls can help you:

• Manage how much time a child spends online.
• Restrict the kinds of content a child can see.
• See information about website and app activity.
• Limit who a child can talk to.
• Restrict purchases.

Where to find them, according to the FTC:

Tips from the FTC:

• Set controls up on every device your child uses, not just one.
• Start with one tool that fits your devices and rules, then add more later.
• Adjust the settings as your child grows.

4. Know your rights about children's data

Under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), websites and apps directed to children under 13 must notify parents and get a parent's consent before collecting a child's personal information. The FTC says parents have the right to:

• Review a company's information practices before agreeing.
• Agree to collection but refuse sharing with third parties.
• Review what has been collected about their child.
• Withdraw consent at any time and have the child's information deleted.

You can report a suspected violation to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.

5. Know the warning signs of online exploitation

NCMEC describes common patterns used by people who exploit children online:

• Studying a child's social media to learn about their interests, friends, school, and family.
• Asking for sexual images soon after connecting.
• Pushing to move the chat to a more private app or to video.
• Using fake profiles, including pretending to be younger or a different gender.
• Faking a friendship or romance.
• Threatening to share images, or to make fake ones, to get more images or money (sextortion).

For more on patterns of grooming in person and online, see Warning Signs.

6. If something has already happened

From NCMEC:

1. Do not pay and do not send more. Paying or cooperating rarely stops the blackmail. Get help first.
2. Remind your child it is not their fault.
3. Report the account on the app or platform.
4. Block the account, but do not delete the messages or the profile. They can help stop the person.
5. Report to the NCMEC CyberTipline at https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678, any time.
6. Use Take It Down at https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/ to help get nude or sexual images taken before age 18 removed from participating platforms. It is free, it can be anonymous, and the image never leaves your device.
7. Get support. NCMEC can be reached at gethelp@ncmec.org or 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

If a child is in danger right now, call 911. If a child is talking about hurting themselves, call or text 988.

7. Free lessons for kids, from NCMEC

NetSmartz is NCMEC's free online safety education program, with age-appropriate videos, activities, tip sheets, and lesson plans for children, teens, parents, and educators.

• NetSmartz: https://www.missingkids.org/netsmartz/home
• NetSmartzKids, games and videos for younger children: https://www.netsmartzkids.org/
• Some downloadable materials ask you to register for a free account.

Sources

• Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice, "How To Use Parental Controls To Keep Your Kid Safer Online," https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-use-parental-controls-keep-your-kid-safer-online (published August 22, 2025; updated December 30, 2025). Checked October 2026.
• Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice, "Protecting Your Child's Privacy Online," https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/protecting-your-childs-privacy-online. Checked October 2026.
• American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org, "How to Make a Family Media Use Plan," https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/How-to-Make-a-Family-Media-Use-Plan.aspx (last updated January 20, 2026). Checked October 2026.
• American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org, "Family Media Plan," https://www.healthychildren.org/English/fmp/Pages/MediaPlan.aspx. Checked October 2026.
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, "Sextortion," https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/sextortion. Checked October 2026.
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, "CyberTipline," https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/cybertipline. Checked October 2026.
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, "Take It Down," https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/. Checked October 2026.
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, "NetSmartz," https://www.missingkids.org/netsmartz/home. Checked October 2026.