When it comes to kids, pushing limits is par for the course. Risky behaviors are often driven by child development. As a drinking-from-the-hose and roaming the streets unsupervised Gen X-er, I look back on my own shenanigans and marvel that worse things didn't happen. 😮‍💨

Students today face similar impulses, but in an online neighborhood, where risks can be prompted by amplified or invisible influences. Even in these virtual spaces, however, risky behavior can still lead to very real emotional and physical harms.

Dangerous online trends, AI companion bots, cyberbullying, harmful messages about physical appearance, and more can all cause real harm. But today, we're focusing specifically on the tangible risks around sharing personally identifiable information (PII) or pictures in public online spaces or with people who don't deserve our trust.

In the digital age, "stranger danger" is an avatar that looks like any other player, another anonymous handle in a Discord community, or a profile picture of an peer showing interest. It's easy to understand how and why kids sometimes share what they shouldn't. And while the worst-case scenarios are rare, it's important to recognize the extreme ends we want to prevent via more moderate means. 

Thankfully, when it comes to the intersection of online and offline privacy and safety, there are specific, practical paths forward. Explicitly addressing these online influences—often entwined with kids' sense of worth, identity, and belonging—gives kids' more agency, practice to protect themselves, and methods to deal with mistakes.

Online Predators 

According to the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute, over 300 million children each year have been victims of "non-consensual taking, sharing, and exposure to" inappropriate material.  Thorn reports one in five teens are victims of exploitation. One in six of those victims were 12 or younger when it began. And 31% of perpetrators demand in-person meetings. 

These criminals specifically target young people. Sometimes they gain kids' trust through a false identity or positive attention. Then they ask for compromising pictures that they can threaten to share unless demands are met. Sometimes they use online scams to implant malware on devices.

Prevention:

• Help kids understand the risks of sharing personal information, including pictures.

• When a perpetrator builds trust, kids' defenses around personal information can fall away. Remind kids to maintain that skepticism enough to withstand the pressure to share pictures or other personal information.

• Before there's a problem, let kids know they should always tell a trusted adult, no matter how embarrassing the situation is. They're not the first to be fooled! And they're not alone in fixing it.

Repair:

• Getting help is the first step, even if it feels embarrassing. It's always important to ask questions if a kid is withdrawing or showing changes in behavior, and in these situations, it can help them bypass full panic and feelings of isolation.

• Block a perpetrator's account, but don't delete the messages. And report the offense!

Compromised Accounts and Identity Theft

Identity theft and stolen accounts can happen to almost anyone with an online presence. But kids engaging in online economies with multiple accounts and with older, tech-savvy users can be more vulnerable to sharing personal information or being scammed. Once again, the shame that comes with being a victim of online deception can prevent kids and teens from getting help.

Prevention:

• Start by giving kids information, perspective, and tools for keeping accounts safe, knowing what scams can look like, and the risks that go with sharing information online.

• A simple routine of pausing and thinking before clicking, posting, or sharing can prevent a lot of potential problems!

Repair:

• First, reassuring kids that identity and account thefts happen every day can help take the shame out of the situation.

• And then, help them walk through the steps to take when there's been a data breach so that they have agency and know how to get help.

Yes, there's some scary stuff out there, but we're here to help you give kids confident agency over their digital experiences. 💚