You want to protect your children from online predators, but you don’t have time for endless research.
As a parent, you know online predators are lurking everywhere online. It’s scary enough without having to learn how tech platforms work to stop them.
And with work, school and life at home…Keeping up with online dangers isn’t always easy.
But here’s the deal:
Predators are getting smarter, and social media apps are not doing enough to stop them.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect your kids. Without spending all day researching online safety. You just need an action plan.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Why Predators Pose Increasing Danger To Children Online
- How App Platforms Should – And Should Not – Be Held Accountable
- Practical Steps You Can Take To Protect Your Children
- What To Do If Your Child Has Been Contacted By A Predator
Step 1: Why Predators Pose Increasing Danger To Children Online
Online threats against children are growing at an alarming rate.
In fact, in 2024 the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received over 546,000 reports of online enticement targeting minors. That was a 192% increase from the year prior.
Online sexual exploitation is just one area where predators are reaching more children each year.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh discovered 300 million children were targets of online solicitation during a single year. This includes victimisation such as sexual messages, sextortion, and coercion by adult predators pretending to be minors.
This isn’t an issue affecting children overseas. Abusers are targeting kids everywhere.
Due in part to grooming on gaming platforms and social media apps. In one recent example, families from across America have come together to file lawsuits against Discord. A Discord sexual abuse lawsuit alleges that the platform is exposing children to predatory adults who use its chat features to manipulate and abuse minors.
There is growing awareness around online predator accountability lawsuits. So many parents are taking legal action against social media apps because this problem is only getting worse.
Step 2: How App Platforms Should – And Should Not – Be Held Accountable
While the idea of holding app platforms accountable is gaining steam. Most parents don’t know just how un-safe some apps really are.
A lot of social media apps weren’t built with children’s safety in mind. Many of these platforms have put growth and user engagement above safety measures.
Platforms should not expect parents to do their job for them. If an app allows adults to message children without verification, that’s a design flaw. Not a parenting issue.
Holding app platforms accountable matters to parents because you can’t always rely on built-in safety features. Especially if the platform doesn’t make it their number one priority.
Parents still need to hold their own kids accountable. By taking the steps above, you can reduce danger until these apps decide to do better.
Step 3: Practical Steps You Can Take To Protect Your Children
Parents can protect kids from online predators. You just need to know what steps to take. Here’s how to keep your family safe online:
Put Privacy Settings On Lockdown
You should audit the privacy settings on every device and app your child uses.
Make sure your child’s social media accounts are set to private. Review the app’s privacy settings. Turn off location services. Force strangers to be approved before they can message your child.
You’d be surprised how many predators reach children simply because an account is public.
Talk To Your Kids Early And Often
Talking to kids about online dangers is never easy. But having age-appropriate conversations early can pay huge dividends later.
Children need to know that people online may not be who they claim to be. They also need to understand that if a situation online feels uncomfortable. They can come to you without getting in trouble.
Monitor Online Activity (The Right Way)
If you want to track your child’s activity, there are options. You can use monitoring services like Bark or Qustodio. These services flag specific keywords related to online predators, cyberbullying, and more.
The important part: Set these services to alert you if there’s ever suspicion of predatory behavior. You don’t have to read every message your child sends.
Understand The Warning Signs
Parents need to know the warning signs that their children may be talking to an online predator. These include:
- Your child is more secretive about their online activity.
- Your child switches screens or closes tabs when you walk into a room.
- Your child suddenly has gifts or money they can’t account for.
- Your child watches explicit content or uses explicit language.
If you notice any of these behaviors, confront your child. Find out what’s going on and who they’ve been talking to online.
Create A Family Tech Agreement
Finally, make a family technology agreement that everyone signs. Include rules about screen time, the apps your child can use, and what to do if someone makes them uncomfortable online.
Review the agreement often. Hang it up on the fridge. Reference it when you need to enforce the rules.
Monitoring children’s online activity and knowing the warning signs are crucial. But setting expectations around technology use from the start is just as important.
Step 4: What To Do If Your Child Has Been Contacted By A Predator
In an ideal world we talked about in Step 3. This is what parents need to do if their child has been contacted by an online predator.
Your child was unfortunately contacted by a predator or saw content that made them uncomfortable online. Don’t panic. Follow these steps and you’ll be OK.
- Keep calm. If you freak out, your child may clam up and not tell you anything else.
- Document what happened. Take screenshots of messages, usernames, and anything else you can.
- Report predators. Contact the app platform and use their reporting tools. You can also file a report with NCMEC’s CyberTipline.
- Contact local law enforcement. In most cases, you’ll want to file a report with your local police department.
- Seek professional help. Contact a therapist that specializes in child safety. They can help your child process what happened.
Keeping your kids safe online is simple. Now that you know how platforms fail to protect kids. Here’s what parents can do to keep their kids safe:
- EDUCATE yourself on the dangers online (you’re already doing great!)
- KNOW the warning signs
- HAVE conversations with your children about online safety
- SET rules and boundaries around technology use
- MONITOR online activity (the right way)
The internet is here to stay. But as long as you have a plan of action, you can help keep your kids safe online.
Platforms will fail your children.
You won’t.
