Protecting Kids Online

Online safety starts with protecting your kids’ devices from hackers and scammers. Here are some steps to keep kids safer while they’re on a phone, tablet, or laptop. Consider taking these steps on your kids’ behalf and, as they get older, teaching them how to secure their devices and build good online habits.

Identity theft can happen to anyone, including kids in foster care. But minors typically don’t have credit reports, so they might not even realize they’ve experienced identity theft until they apply for a job, housing, or credit. Because foster youth often move more often and more people have access to their info, they’re at greater risk of identity theft. So if you’re a foster parent, a service provider, or know someone in foster care, read on for ways to help protect foster youth from identity theft.

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule) gives parents control over the online collection of their children’s personal information. Before a website or app collects personal information from a child under the age of 13, it must notify the parents and get their approval. Under a settlement with the FTC, Disney has agreed to pay a $10 million penalty for violating the COPPA Rule.