Topics on the page
Introduction
Almost all good things have some risks Using any device that’s connected to the internet comes with some risk. But that’s true with just about everything that’s useful or fun, including bicycles, kitchen knives, cars or just walking down the street. We will never be able to eliminate all risks, but we can manage risk to greatly reduce the possibility of harm and find ways to recover if something bad happens. This page includes a list of ConnectSafely resources organized by risk category. Though thorough, it’s not exhaustive. There may be other risks that emerge, especially as new devices and apps come to market. But, as you read through our guides and quick guides, two things are common to all risk management: critical thinking and parental involvement. Critical thinking skills can help teens better understand and manage all risks — including risks that may emerge in the future — and parental involvement provides young people with the advice, support and — in some cases — supervision that can help them stay safe, thrive and learn to protect themselves for their entire lives.
Risk categories and resources
Cyberbullying
- ConnectSafely Quick-Guide to Cyberbullying
- Parent’s Guide to Cyberbullying – ConnectSafely
- [For Teens] Telling a Parent You’re Being Cyberbullied – ConnectSafel
- Cyberbullying Research Center – How to Identify, Prevent, and Respon
- StopBullying.gov
Harassment
Cyberstalking
Inappropriate content
- Family Guide to Parental Controls – ConnectSafely
- How to Make Google Search Safer or More Precise – ConnectSafely
Reputation management
Misinformation and media literacy
- Quick-Guide to Misinformation & Media Literacy – ConnectSafely
- Parent’s & Educator’s Guide to Media Literacy & False Information –
- News Literacy Project
Hate speech
- Parent’s and Educator’s Guide to Combatting Hate Speech
Quick-Guide to Hate Speech – ConnectSafely
Ask Trish: Anti-Hate 101 with Ask Trish – ConnectSafely - Cyber Safety Action Guide | ADL
Security
Scams
Malware
Self-harm and suicide
- Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or dial 988 from US phones
- Self-Harm | Crisis Text Line or text HOME to 741741
- What is Digital Self-Harm and How Can Parents Prevent It? (techtarget.com)
- Digital Self-Harm: The Hidden Side of Adolescent Online Aggression (cyberbullying.org)
Personal privacy
- Ask Trish: A (Brief) Privacy Education – ConnectSafely
- Why You Should Review Your App Privacy Settings – ConnectSafely
- Removing Child Images from Google Search
- How to Protect Your Digital Privacy (NY Times)
- How To Protect Your Privacy Online | Consumer Advice (ftc.gov)
Data privacy
Spam
Sexting
Sextortion
Grooming and predation
Online extremism
- Examining the warning signs of online extremism targeting young people | PBS News Weekend
- Online youth radicalization – Wikipedia
- Countering Extremist Speech Online (stanford.edu)
Parental management tools
There are tools that can help parents monitor and, in some cases, control the technology their kids are using. These include tools built into devices or apps as well as third-party parental control tools.
- Family Guide to Parental Controls – ConnectSafely
- Device and App Controls – ConnectSafely
- Parental controls for game consoles – ConnectSafely
- Video Parental Controls – ConnectSafely