The internet feels like a dangerous place for kids… How can I protect my child?

This can be a great creative outlet, and may inspire your teen to be a successful blogger, or have a successful video channel. However, they can be a way for stalkers and predators to learn personal information about your teen, and—even more than social media—they put your teen’s actions, attitudes, and behaviors on public display, putting them at risk of later embarrassment or shaming, and even possible legal consequences if they say the wrong thing.

The 2019 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice) indicates that, nationwide, about 16 percent of students in grades 9–12 experienced cyberbullying.

Online bullying is a real possibility as well, and can have devastating effects, leading to long-term problems with self-esteem. Bullying can also lead to depression and (in some tragic instances) suicide. One online community in which bullying is especially prevalent is online gaming.

According to statistics put out by the FBI and United Nations, at any given time there are 750,000 predators online looking to foster inappropriate, and sometimes illegal, relationships with teens.

And there have been bad outcomes: teens have been lured into abductions and into sexual situations, and have been subject to sexual assault as a result of relationships begun online. And there’s a chance that none of the exchanges leading up to such an outcome will be easily visible to parents.