With school back in session for area students, St. Thomas Police are reminding families that safety doesn’t stop at the schoolyard — it extends online as well.
With new classmates, group projects, and after-school activities, kids often start to connect with more people online and begin using new apps. This can create opportunities for scammers and strangers to reach young people.
To help, police are encouraging families to go over key cyber safety tips before classes begin, including checking privacy settings, using strong passwords, limiting screen time, and reminding kids to think twice before sharing personal information or photos.
The complete list of tips can be found below…
1. Review Privacy Settings: Check privacy settings on all apps, including messaging, gaming, and social media. Make accounts private and limit who can contact your child.
2. Use Strong Security: Enable two-factor authentication on email, school portals and social media. Use strong, unique passwords for each account.
3. Think Before You Share: Remind kids that once a photo, video or message is sent, it can be saved and shared. Avoid posting personal information, including school name, schedule or location.
4. Beware of Strangers: Only accept friend requests or messages from people you know in real life. If someone makes you uncomfortable online, block and report them.
5. Recognize Scams and Phishing: Teach kids to avoid clicking links from unknown senders. Scammers may pretend to be teachers, classmates or school staff.
6. Monitor Screen Time: Set limits for recreational screen time, especially on school nights. Encourage balance between online and offline activities.
7. Stay Involved: Have regular conversations about what your child is doing online. Encourage them to speak up if they encounter something unsafe or upsetting.
Written by: Kennedy Freeman
