11 practical internet safety tips for keeping kids and teens safe online

If you have children, chances are good you’ve seen them looking at their phones or laptops but you don’t know exactly what they’re doing. You have even less idea when they’re away form home. Should you check in, or would that invade the privacy?

According to Pew Research, 65% of kids age 9 to 11 and 95% of teens use a smartphone, which typically have access to email, messaging, and social media apps that can enable kids to interact with people anywhere—including total strangers. For kids, interactive technology is a window to the world, but it’s natural for parents and guardians to worry.

That’s why Amazon has partnered with ConnectSafely, a nonprofit working to educate parents and other users of connected technology about safety, privacy, and security. ConnectSafely has put together the following guide—with 11 easy-to-follow tips—to help approach these tricky topics with your kids, have productive conversations, and find tools to help along the way.