Rethink
Cyber Safety Rules
and the “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. Today more than ever, teens lead complex online lives and are faced withreal-world problems online. In the National Cyber Security Alliance’s (NCSA) second annual Keeping Up
With Generation App: NCSA Parent/Teen Online Safety Survey, 34 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, 35 percent involving something about
their appearance and about one in four involving their sexual orientation, gender or race. In addition, theissue of “fake news” is also a worrisome topic for both parents and teens. Nearly 50 percent of teens said
they were “very” or “somewhat” concerned about mistakenly spreading fake news or misinformation.
Parents are even more concerned, with more than 60 percent indicating that they were “very” or“somewhat” concerned that their teen would spread misinformation.
The results of this research have led NCSA to set some new recommendations for helping teens be safer
and more secure online. In general, online teens reported that their parents are their primary source
for learning about online safety and security. These conversations tended to focus on what should andshould not be shared on cell phones (74%) and ways to behave toward others online or on the phone(64%). Even as more of these family tech talks are happening, 57 percent of the teens report having
online accounts of which their parents are unaware, such as a social media site or app.
As technology continues to become fully integrated into young people’s lives, it will be nearly
impossible for parents to know everything their children do online. Additionally, parents need tounderstand that teens may seek help from – or be asked for help by – their peers. Forty-one percent of
the teens surveyed reported that a friend of theirs has sought help because of something that happened
online. Focus points of family tech talks should include how to offer helpful advice and how to determine
when a situation requires adult assistance.
NCSA recommends rethinking the family tech talk to help both parents and teens learn how to better
recognize and resist online issues and be resilient when faced with problems.

RETHINK THE RULES.

Too often, parenting in the age of the internet focuses on setting rules and trying to understand andkeep track of everything young people are doing. Online safety isn’t just about following designatedprocedures or being totally educated on everything about the internet. The survey revealed a significant
digital disconnect with both parents and teens reporting dissimilar expectations around what kinds ofrules actually exist and if they are being followed. In one example, nearly a third of teens (28%) state
their household has no rules, while 8 percent of parents indicate there are no rules at home for theirchildren’s use of technology.

Rethink
Cyber Safety Rules
and the “Tech Talk”
with Your Teens
While NCSA believes rules still play an important role in helping young people stay safe and more secure
online, we recommend revising the approach to online safety rules and taking the following into
consideration:• Make rules that can be enforced: It’s easy to create a laundry list of rules. Making rules that are
impractical to follow or enforce won’t make young people safer or more secure and can create asituation where rules lose meaning and parents become disengaged. For example, as a majority ofteens have online accounts that their parents aren’t aware of, rules requiring advance permission
before creating accounts are likely to be broken and unenforceable. Before setting a rule, think
about whether it will significantly improve your children’s safety and how you can keep the lines ofcommunication on the issue open.
• Have a core set of rules the whole family follows: The most impactful rules are those that apply
equally to everyone. So create a set of rules that everyone in the family is expected to follow. For
example, limiting use of devices during meal times or other times spent together as a family,
practicing discretion when sharing personally identifiable information about family members, andseeking permission from one another before sharing information, such as posting photos on socialnetworks.
• Make rules together and change them over time: Young people may surprise you with how muchthey already know about being safer and more secure online. Ask them about the rules they havemade for themselves and the practices they currently follow. Then have them establish rules they
can commit to following. Make sure that the rules evolve as your children grow. What is anappropriate rule for a 10-year-old may not be appropriate for a teen, so periodically revisit yourexpectations.

It’s not about the technology – it’s about how it is used.
There can often be hysteria around the latest app or how young people use devices. Connected devices
are not unlike cars. Many cars can travel at speeds way above the speed limit, so teaching responsible
use and good behaviors is key to safety. For example, smart devices have cameras that can be used tospark and promote creativity, and apps may have functions that allow video chat or live streaming. They
can also be used to send inappropriate images or create security vulnerabilities. Teaching the family how
to use the technology appropriately and manage privacy and security settings will help everyone learn
how to better protect themselves online.

ESTABLISH A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR TECHNOLOGY CONVERSATIONS.
Although teens might not always come to you for online advice, it’s important to be prepared to help
them when they do. Work to create an environment of trust in which your kids can comfortably talk to
you about their experiences and issues without fear of punishment or blame, even if they have broken
an established rule. Additionally, consider asking your teen to talk about their friends’ experiences andproblems online; they may be more comfortable discussing someone else’s experience than their own.

Rethink
Cyber Safety Rules
and the “Tech Talk”
with Your Teens
Help teens help their friends.

Strong peer-to-peer relationships are fundamental parts of adolescent development, and as the survey
indicates, many teens are likely to turn to their friends for help with problems online. Therefore, youcan expect your child may be consulted by a friend for help. Talk to your teens about developing thetools and knowledge they need to protect themselves as well as advise their friends with online safetyconcerns, including how to block users on sites and how to report problems or abuse to sites and apps
they use. Help your teen understand their capacity for responding to issues and challenges they face,and encourage them to seek help from someone they trust if a problem they or their friends have seems
beyond their ability. Establish some parameters about when they should seek adult help, such as if afriend may commit harm to themselves or others or the law has been broken. While teens are unlikely tointervene directly in an online incident a friend is experiencing, role-play and strategize about how theywould handle problems. Being safe and secure online is about trying to prevent negative incidents, butalso building resilience.

Talk to teens about your shared concerns.

Despite their differences, parents and teens actually share many concerns about technology. Similar
to last year, the survey found that when it comes to online safety, parents and teens share common
concerns on topics like someone accessing a teen’s account without permission, someone sharing ateen’s personal information and having a teen’s photo or video shared that they wanted to keep private.

stopthinkconnect.org@STOPTHNKCONNECT

STOPTHINKCONNECT

Study background: As part of widespread efforts to promote online safety education and awareness for youth, NCSA conducted market
research to better understand the potential disconnect between parents and kids regarding their exposure to negative and harmful
content online. Using the Zogby panel, Keeping Up With Generation App: NCSA Parent/Teen Online Safety Survey, surveyed a sample of813 online teens ages 13 to 17 and a separate sample of 809 online parents of teens ages 13 to 17 between Sept. 14-17, 201. Based on aconfidence interval of 95 percent, the margin of error for both surveys is +/- 3.5 percentage points.
For more information: www.staysafeonline.org.