Tip Sheets
Rethink Cyber Safety Rules and the “Tech Talk” With Your Teens
Today more than ever, teens lead complex online lives and are faced with real-world problems online.
- Get Involved
- Stay Safe Online
“Tech Talk” With Your Teens
Teens connect to the online world much differently than their parents do – thanks in part to our rapidly advancing technologies. In a recent survey by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), Keeping Up With Generation App: NCSA Parent/Teen Online Safety Survey, 39 percent of teen internet users (13-17 years old) report that someone has been mean or cruel to them online in the past year, with 52 percent of those incidents involving something they said or did, 45 percent involving something about their appearance and about one in four involving their sexual orientation, gender or race.
Moreover, one in four online teens (27%) say they are “very concerned” that they might be directed to content about extreme political or religious activities that will make them feel uncomfortable.
“In an era where there’s a new app every day, it’s important that we change the lens of online safety from a tracking and monitoring perspective to a more empowering approach that prepares young people to better respond to the various challenges they will likely encounter in their online lives."