Kids are back in school. Maybe your child, or their classmates, have a brand new phone. At the beginning of every school year, there tends to be a lot of bullying and other problematic behavior happening online. For this reason, at the beginning of every school year, I suggest parents do a cyber safety tune-up of their child’s digital safety. Whether you have already done some of the suggestions below, or you are new to your child’s digital world, cyber safety is an on-going conversation and these issues deserve our attention. As parents, we need to stay engaged in our children’s lives and the digital world is a big part of it.

1. Review the Mobile Device and Internet Contract with your child.

80% of parents have never discussed Internet safety with their child. Talking to thousands of parents every year, I have learned parents are not having this important talk with their child because they do not know what to say. The number one safety factor in any child’s life is a parent that will speak to them about important, and sometimes tricky topics like Internet safety, bullying, drug use, vaping, etc. The Mobile Device and Internet Contract is a parent’s script to opening a meaningful conversation about cyber safety with their child. Read each point to them, and then ask them to share their thoughts about it. Ask open-ended questions like, “”Why do you think this is a good idea,”” or “”what could happen if you let a stranger into your Instagram account?””

2. Filter the Internet content that is coming into your home.

Use a reliable content filter on the Internet coming and going from your home. I recommend using OpenDNS. It is free for families to use. Your router may already have content filtering built into it. Make sure you are using something. Not only will you block inappropriate ...