Guides and Quick-Guides
We’ll start with our Quick-Guides but please scroll down for our full-length parent and educator guides
Printable Quick Guides
Short, clearly written guides for you to read and print. If you share in bulk, please let us know. We recommend double-sided printing (in color, if possible) on 24 lb. paper or higher.
Click here for Quick-Guides in Spanish (Haga clic aquí para obtener guías rápidas en español)
Safety & Wellness
Media Literacy
Security
Parent and Teen Guide to Generative AI
New technology offers risks and rewards.What is Generative AI? Generative AI (GAI) is a branch of artificial intelligence that automates original content generation. It can write essays, poems, song lyrics, articles and scripts. It can draw images and cartoons, create...
Parent’s Guide to Managed Meta Quest Accounts for Pre-Teens
Download Guide (PDF) Meta Quest immersive virtual reality headsets have long been available for adults and teens. And now, Meta is enabling parents to set up parent-managed accounts for pre-teens aged 10, 11, and 12. A parent-managed Meta account for pre-teens is...
Parent’s Guide to Cyberbullying
Download Guide (PDF) Download Quick Guide (PDF) Bullying is a serious, long-standing social problem that now occurs in digital spaces as well as physical ones. But, contrary to what you might have heard or read, it isn't just a youth problem, it isn't getting worse,...
Parent’s Guide to TikTok
Download Guide (PDF) Download Quick Guide (PDF) 5 Minutes with TikTok (Video) TikTok-ConnectSafely Family Survey Getting started Although you can view TikTok videos at TikTok.com, downloading the mobile app is the best way to learn about and use the service. New users...
Parent’s Guide to Discord
More and more teens are joining Discord, a communications platform, to connect with peers and friends. Discord makes it easy for teens to find connection and belonging - whether it’s in a group for studying or shared interests like a band or sports team. Discord...
Parent’s Guide to Google Search
Note: This guide applies only to Google Search and not other search tools. If you or your children are using other sites, please familiarize yourselves with their settings and safety features. Download the Guide (PDF) How Google Search works While performing a basic...
Parent and Guardian Guide to Meta Horizon Worlds
Download Full Guide (PDF) Download Quick Guide (PDF) Watch Larry's Interview (Video) Meta Horizon Worlds is now available for teens ages 13 to 17. The app, created by Meta (formerly Facebook) for their virtual reality headsets, enables people to explore and socialize...
Parent’s Guide to ZEPETO
Download the Quick-Guide (PDF) What is ZEPETO? ZEPETO is a mobile and web app that allows people ages 13 and older to create and customize virtual avatars with various features, clothes, hairstyles, and accessories and interact with others in virtual worlds. ZEPETO is...
Parent’s Guide to Twitch
Download the Guide (PDF) Live streaming service Twitch continues to defy the short-form video trend that’s popular among teens. Twitch’s interactive streams, which feature everything from live video gaming, music performances and makeup tutorials to “just chatting,”...
Parent’s Guide to Meta Quest Pro
Download guide (PDF) We hear a lot about virtual reality and the “metaverse,” and we’re seeing Meta and other tech companies launch new devices that give people access to more immersive experiences. These virtual experiences will ultimately evolve into the metaverse,...
Parent’s Guide to Meta Virtual Reality Parental Supervision Tools
Download Guide (PDF) If Meta’s Quest 2 virtual reality (VR) headset has become a go-to gaming and entertainment device in your household, there’s a new reason to cheer: Meta has launched VR parental supervision tools. The parental supervision tools will work with Meta...
Parent’s Guide to Teen Sextortion Scams
Download the Guide (PDF) The FBI has reported a “huge increase” in sextortion scams targeting teens, especially boys 14 to 17. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, 5% of teens have been the target of sextortion, and only one-third told their parents. The...
Parent’s & Educator’s Guide to Media Literacy & False Information
By Kerry Gallagher, JD and Larry Magid, Ed.D. Download the Full Guide (PDF) Read the Top 5 Questions Download the Quick-Guide (PDF) We hear a lot about misinformation, disinformation and “fake news,” but whatever you call it, it’s a symptom of much larger problems,...
Parent’s Guide to Amazon Parent Dashboard
Download the Guide (PDF) Amazon Parent Dashboard is the free hub where parents and guardians manage and customize their kids’ experiences across Amazon devices and the Amazon Kids + subscription. Parents use Parent Dashboard to configure age-appropriate settings, set...
Parent’s Guide to Amazon Fire TV
Download Free Guide (PDF) What is Fire TV, and how much does it cost? Amazon Fire TV is a media player that streams video, music, and games to your TV. It plugs into the HDMI port of your television and turns any modern TV into a smart TV. There are several models,...
Family Guide to Parental Controls
Download Guide (PDF) What are parental controls and what do they do? There are a variety of control tools and monitoring tools available to parents. Some are software products or mobile apps that you buy or subscribe to. Others are free and some are already present on...
Guide to Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
Meta and Ray-Ban have released the second generation of smart glasses. The first was called “Ray-Ban Stories.” The new version, introduced in late 2023, is Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. Both versions have a camera that can take both still and video pictures. The new...
Parent’s Guide to Snapchat
Download Free Guide (PDF) Snapchat is all about fun and spontaneity. By default, the text, photos and videos you share delete automatically after being viewed by the recipient. Users love that they can share a moment that’s digital footprint-free — they don’t have to...
Family Guide to Messenger by Facebook
Download Free Guide (PDF) Messenger, which is both a mobile and desktop messaging app from Facebook and a feature built-into Facebook’s desktop (web) platform, allows you to exchange messages, watch videos with friends, and engage in group video or text chats complete...
Parent’s Guide to Tech for Tots
By Kerry Gallagher, JD and Larry Magid Ed.D Download Free Guide (PDF) Sixty-one percent of parents say that parenting is more difficult than it was 20 years ago, with many citing technology as the reason why, according to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey. Teaching...
Parent, Educator & Youth Guide to LGBTQ Cyberbullying
By Warren J. Blumenfeld, Ed.D. Download Free Guide (PDF) All young people deserve to grow up in a world where they are accepted, loved and treated with compassion, but sadly, that’s not the case for everyone. Some young people are vulnerable to bullying,...
Parent’s and Educator’s Guide to Combatting Hate Speech
By Brittan Heller, JD and Larry Magid, Ed.D. Download Free Guide (PDF) Download Free Quick Guide (PDF) The internet is making it possible for people around the world to communicate with lightning speed and, for the most part, it’s a good thing. Whether it’s keeping up...
The Educator’s Guide to Creativity & Copyright
By Kerry Gallagher, J.D., Larry Magid, Ed.D. and David Sohn, J.D. Download Printer friendly Guide (PDF) Quick-Guide for Students & Teachers (PDF) Whether they’re working in class or at home, students are accessing, viewing, creating, and sharing media as...
Parent’s Guide to Education Technology
By Kerry Gallagher, J.D., and Larry Magid, Ed.D. Download Guide (PDF) We all know children use devices like smartphones, tablets, Chromebooks, and laptops at school and they also often use a vocabulary full of technology jargon that may seem completely foreign....
Educator’s Guide to Social Media
Download Guide (PDF) Social media has become ubiquitous. About three-quarters of online American adults use some form of social media, according to Pew Research. Among young adults and teens, the numbers are even higher. Without a doubt, the vast majority of your...
The Educator’s Guide to Student Data Privacy
DownloadFull Guide (PDF Technology tools and apps are making it possible for educators and students to collaborate, create, and share ideas more easily than ever. When schools use technology, students’ data—including some personal information—is collected both by...
Senior’s Guide to TikTok
Download Free Guide (PDF) If you have teenage children or grandchildren, there’s a good chance they use TikTok. But so do tens of millions of adults. Only about a third of TikTok users are under 20, according to a June 2020 Statistica Report. Just under 14% are...
The Senior’s Guide to Online Safety
Full Guide/Download PDF One Page Quick Guide Senior Safety Slide show Most American seniors are now online. As of 2018, nearly 66% of Americans over 65 were Internet users, according to a Pew Research Center survey.That number is getting bigger all the time, and for...