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Why Internet Safety Matters (Click Me)
Why Internet Safety Matters (Click Me)
Today's children are growing up in a digital world where learning, playing, and communicating often happen online. While the internet provides wonderful opportunities for education and creativity, it also presents risks that even young children can encounter. Teaching internet safety early helps children build healthy online habits that can protect them as they grow.
According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (2024), the CyberTipline received more than 186,800 reports of online enticement in 2023, and such reports increased by more than 300% between 2021 and 2023. These reports involve offenders attempting to communicate with children online for inappropriate or exploitative purposes. Online Enticement involves an individual communicating with someone believed to be a child via the internet with the intent to commit a sexual offense or abduction. This is a broad category of online exploitation and includes sextortion, in which a child is being groomed to take sexually explicit images and/or ultimately meet face-to-face with someone for sexual purposes, or to engage in a sexual conversation online or, in some instances, to sell/trade the child’s sexual images. This type of victimization takes place across every platform; social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, etc. NCMEC has also reported that online threats continue to grow as children spend more time using social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, and other digital spaces.
Although kindergarten-aged children are typically supervised online, now is the perfect time to begin teaching simple safety skills such as:
Asking a trusted adult before using a new app or website.
Never sharing personal information, photos, or passwords.
Telling a trusted adult if something online makes them feel scared, confused, or uncomfortable.
Understanding that not everyone online is who they say they are.
By working together, families and schools can help children develop safe online habits that will serve them throughout their lives. I encourage all parents to explore the free internet safety resources available through NCMEC, which offers videos, activities, and family guides designed specifically for young children and their caregivers.
For families of kindergarten students, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) recommends starting with simple, age-appropriate conversations about online safety. Their free NetSmartz® program includes videos, parent guides, printable activities, and lessons designed specifically for children in grades K–2.
Here are some of the best NCMEC resources to work through at home:
Click here for practical family rules for devices, tips for supervising young children's online activities, and ideas to encourage open communication about internet use.
Click here for age-appropriate videos and lessons that teach children how to make safe choices online. Great for use at home or in school safety presentations.
Click here for personal safety lessons, trusted adult activities, family discussion guides, and printable resources.
Click here for a free online presentation for parents that covers online risks, digital citizenship, and ways to support young children as they learn to use technology safely.
NCMEC's Key Internet Safety Tips for Kindergarten Families
Keep computers and tablets in shared family spaces.
Use parental controls and age-appropriate apps.
Teach children never to share their name, address, school, or photos without permission.
Help children identify trusted adults they can tell if something online makes them uncomfortable.
Explore the internet together and talk regularly about what they see and do online.
My child disclosed an internet crime to me. Now what?
My child disclosed an internet crime to me. Now what?
If you believe you or someone you know is a victim of exploitation, NCMEC is here to help!
Suspected Online Exploitation/Sextortion can be reported through our CyberTipline at https://report.cybertip.org/ or by calling 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678). You will be met with a trained professional who can help you walk through the process of reporting the crime. Here are some steps you can take now to make things better:
Remember, the other party is to blame, not you. Even if you made a choice you regret, what they are doing is a crime.
Get help before deciding whether to pay money or otherwise comply with the blackmailer. Cooperating or paying rarely stops the blackmail.
REPORT the account via the platform’s safety feature.
BLOCK the suspect but DO NOT DELETE your profile or messages because that can help stop the blackmailer.
Visit Take It Down so NCMEC can help you get your explicit images removed from the internet. This service is one step you can take to help remove online nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photos and videos taken before you were 18. Having nudes online is scary, but there is hope to get them taken down.
Ask for help. The problems can be very complex and require help from adults or professionals. If you don’t feel that you have adults in your corner, you can reach out to NCMEC for support at gethelp@ncmec.org or you can call us at 1-800-THE-LOST.
My Child is Missing- After contacting law enforcement, you can report a missing child to NCMEC by calling our 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
As scary as it is to imagine online exploitation happening to your child, it is not uncommon and can only be prevented through education and open communication regarding tech usage. If this happens to your child or someone in your family, you are not alone. In 2024, there were more than 61 million files of suspected CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) reported. 40% of all minors have received a cold solicitation online for a nude photo or video.
I am here to support you. If you are/have experienced this in your family and are willing, feel free to reach out to me via email if you would like to share your experience or seek support (courseyj@wl.k12.in.us). I have many resources and extensive knowledge regarding NCMEC, parent technology recommendations, and resources for handling the emotions that come with these adverse online experiences. I am here to help.
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