Back-to-school cyber safety: Parent checklist

Dan Fishbach

4 days ago

Summer is flying by and before you know it, you’ll be buying backpacks and taking first-day-of-school photos. Back-to-school season brings new classes and friends, but it also brings new digital dangers. By the time you’ve dropped your kids off for their first day of class, chances are they’ve already been exposed to their first cyberthreat of the day. New devices, new online accounts, and relaxed summer screen habits could make your children vulnerable to a slew of online threats.

Numbers you need to know

For most kids, especially teenagers, being online is a big part of daily life. From scrolling through TikTok and watching YouTube videos to chatting with friends and gaming, 46% of teens say they’re online “almost constantly.” Cybercriminals know this and are always looking for opportunities to cash in on your kids’ online activity. Threats like social media phishing have skyrocketed from 18.9% to 42.8%. Some of these scams are directly aimed at children, including a rash of fake school emails designed to steal sensitive personal information. Since more than 80% of data breaches start with stolen passwords, it’s more important than ever that your children use strong passwords that are difficult to crack. The good news? We’ve put together a digital safety checklist to help you boost your entire family’s cybersecurity in just one weekend.

Real-life risks in your child’s digital day

Phishing & social engineering: Let’s say your teenage daughter gets a text that reads, “Your grades won’t post unless you verify your information now.” Or maybe she gets an email that asks for her student login to update her records. Phishing and social engineering scams use threats and a sense of urgency to get you to click links and share personal information. Make sure your kids know to question any sudden or unusual request, and always bring it to you for verification before taking any action.
Gaming & app-related hazards: Your son’s gaming buddy asks to move their conversation to a private app. Seems harmless enough, but is this someone your son really knows? Gaming sites are often part of a child’s social life, and that’s exactly why they’re a popular place for scams. Kids get urged to make in-game purchases that run up mom and dad’s credit card bills. They get invites to unfamiliar apps and private chats that can lead to crimes like credit card theft and inappropriate contact with strangers. Scammers and predators often target kids through chat features and build trust so they can take advantage of them, both personally and financially. Remind your children that not everyone they meet online is who they say they are. For their safety, they should only trust the friends they actually know IRL (in real life).
Social media dangers:
- Oversharing personal information: Your child’s classmate screenshots a private message and shares it on social media. It’s a seemingly small act that can have lasting consequences, from public embarrassment to cyberbullying. One of the biggest perils of social media can be oversharing personal details. Location tracking and location tagging can expose sensitive information like addresses, schools and current locations. Talk with your kids about keeping private information private by being careful who they chat with and by using location sharing and tagging wisely.
- Negative mental health effects: While there are many rewards to social media, excessive use can have a negative effect on your child’s mental health. Too much time spent scrolling can lead to social isolation, lack of sleep and lack of outdoor activity. Be sure to talk with you kids about creating healthy digital habits, which includes regular breaks from devices.
Academic integrity issues: With AI use on the rise, it’s only fair to expect your kids will use ChatGPT or another AI tool to help with their homework. But it’s important to explain that while AI can be used to help them study, it shouldn’t do their work for them. As AI tools become more sophisticated, so do detection tools that identify plagiarism and other forms of cheating. The same goes for sharing homework or posting test answers online. Make sure your kids know that the consequences of cheating can include failing grades and disciplinary action at school. Encourage them to stay academically honest and try to offer to help them with their studies if they need it.
Sextortion & online predators: The toughest topic to bring up with your children may be the most important one. Online predators are skilled at manipulation and tend to be very difficult to spot, especially for a child. Sextortion is a form of blackmail. It often occurs when an adult poses as a peer and builds an online relationship with a child. The scammer then pressures the child for private photos and information, which they can use for blackmail purposes. Even if a child has never shared a sexually explicit photo, they can still fall victim to sextortion. Recently, scammers have been using AI to transform an innocent photo of a child, usually taken from a social media profile, into a sexually explicit photo. They then use these very realistic photos to blackmail the victim. Have open conversations with your kids and encourage them to share details about any online relationships with you. Explain that you respect their privacy but need to have regular check-ins to keep them safe.

Your back-to-school digital security action plan

Want to secure your whole family’s digital life? Complete this back-to-school digital security checklist and use it to protect your entire household in under an hour.

Complete this weekend:

Install reputable antivirus software: Keep your family cyber safe by installing antivirus software on all devices. Webroot Total Protection offers comprehensive online security and protection for up to ten devices. It includes real-time monitoring to safeguard you from bank and credit card fraud and identity theft.

Enable automatic updates: Outdated software puts you and your family at risk for cyberfraud. Protect your important digital data by enabling automatic updates for all your apps, software and devices. This ensures you always have the latest security patches, and you can schedule updates to happen overnight, so they won’t interrupt your family’s screen time.

Create a strong Wi-Fi password: Every smart home device you have, from Nest thermostats to Ring doorbell cameras, connects to your Wi-Fi and creates an opportunity for hackers to break in. Be sure to lock down your home network by creating a strong password for your router.

Set up encrypted connections: Consider using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to protect your personal information. Whether you’re at home or public Wi-Fi, Webroot Secure VPN provides encrypted connections for safe browsing and online transactions.

Create a backup system for schoolwork and important files: Keep all your homework, projects and other valuable files safe from online fraud with regular backups. Carbonite offers automatic, encrypted backups and unlimited cloud storage, giving you peace of mind that your digital data is always stored safely and easy to restore.

Monthly tasks (general):

Review and update passwords: Pick your child’s three most important passwords and update them together. Be sure to make them long and strong – nothing easy to guess like “12345”, “password”, or your pet’s name.

Check your child’s app downloads and permissions: Remove unnecessary apps and manage permissions to deny unwanted data sharing.

Review parental control settings: Review parental control settings on all devices and adjust as needed.

Elementary (6-10 years)

This week:

Set up strict parental controls: Make managing screen time and content access on all devices easy with Webroot Parental Controls. Whether your kids are playing Minecraft or chatting on Discord, it’s an easy way to keep them safe while giving them space. It even lets you tailor different levels of protection according to their ages.

Create a “safe list”: Make a list of parent-approved websites and apps for your kids.

Establish device-free homework zones and times: Create a digital detox zone in your home to disengage from all things digital – no texting, email or social media allowed!

Practice the “ask first” rule: Teach your kids to ask a parent before accessing any new downloads or websites

Ongoing:

Monitor all online activity: Always be aware of the games, apps and sites your child uses and anyone they are communicating with.

Keep devices in common areas: Limit online activity to spaces in your home where it’s easy to keep an eye on what your kids are doing.

Teach basic online “stranger danger”: Stranger danger is just as important for online interactions as it is for in-person encounters. Be sure your child knows the basics to keep them safe in all situations.

Middle school (11-13 years)

This week:

Set up password manager and teach them to use it: Strong, unique passwords are a simple, yet powerful security tool. Webroot solutions include password managers that store your credentials and credit card information and automatically fill in login information for you. Start using Webroot’s password manager with your kids and teach them how easy it is to generate secure passwords.

Configure social media privacy settings: Work together with your kids to create safe social media settings.

Establish screen time limits: Create screen time limits and stick to consequences if the agreement is broken.

Create a family media agreement with clear rules: Create a media-use contract together and be sure to include screen time, study time, and mental health breaks.

Ongoing:

Check-in regularly about online experiences: Establish a monthly check-in to discuss what they’re seeing and experiencing online.

Monitor friend lists and follower requests: Regularly check on and manage new friend and follower requests for your children. Instill in your children to not accept friend requests from anyone they do not know IRL.

Discuss oversharing risks: Remind your kids to not share locations, school names, and other personal details on social media.

High school (14-18 Years)

This week:

Transition to collaborative security: Work together with your teens to create a security plan. Discuss the need for a digital safety strategy in a matter-of-fact way, just as you’d discuss the need for driving safety rules. Review the need for password security and remind them how important it is that they never share their passwords with anyone but their parents or caregivers.

Discuss the impact of their digital footprint: Remind your kids that their current digital lives can have an impact on their future. Explain how social media profiles, postings, and other content can affect college applications and job opportunities and their safety.

Set up two-factor authentication: Establish and enforce two-factor authentication (2FA) on all important accounts, such as email, banking and even social media.

Review gaming and social media privacy settings: Gaming apps are often automatically set to share personal information. Work with your teen to review and adjust settings.

Ongoing:

Monthly “digital wellness” conversations: Make sure to check in with your teens on the emotional effects of their online habits.

Discuss academic integrity: Talk about AI cheating, online ethics, and responsible use. Set boundaries about using AI tools for schoolwork.

Address dating app safety and sextortion risks: No matter how uncomfortable it may be, be straightforward with your kids about the risks of sexting . Be sure they understand that any sexual messages or images they share digitally can live forever. Even on a platform like Snapchat, where images are supposed to be temporary, someone can screenshot, save and share messages and images with others. Just one text to the wrong person could have deeply painful and humiliating consequences.

Conversation starters that work

Starting conversations about online safety with your kids isn’t always easy, but with the right approach, you can help them build digital confidence and awareness.

For elementary kids:

“Let’s be internet detectives today! Can you help me spot what’s real and what’s fake in these emails?”
“Your computer is like your house – we need to lock the doors. Let me show you how.”

For middle schoolers:

“I saw this news story about a kid your age who had their account hacked. Want to check if yours is secure?”
“What would you do if someone online asked you to keep a secret from me?”

For high schoolers:

“I’m not trying to spy on you, but I do want to make sure you know how to protect yourself online. Can we talk about what you’ve been seeing?”
“Have you ever gotten a message or email that made you suspicious or uncomfortable? What did you do?”

Webroot offers real-time protection to keep your family safe online without slowing down devices during homework time. With coverage for multiple devices, including phones, tablets, and computers, it’s easy to protect every member of your household.

Cybersecurity doesn’t go on summer break, so take an hour this weekend to complete the checklist and strengthen your family’s digital defenses before the first bell rings. With Webroot’s powerful tools, you’ll get year-round protection, so you can focus on having a safe, smart, and cyber-savvy school year!

Additional resources:

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