Digital literacy and candid conversations are parents’ best ways to ensure child phone safety

By Jill Murphy

Friday, April 26, 2024 | 2 a.m.

Being a parent in today’s digital world isn’t easy. You have to help your children stay vigilant on social media while simultaneously encouraging healthy behaviors like connecting with friends and accessing educational tools and content.

To strike a balance, more parents are having conversations with kids about the risks of social media, including online predators.

According to a recent Cox Mobile survey, nearly one-third of parents say that a stranger has reached out to their child on their phone, and 28% said the stranger referenced their child’s location.

The findings complement similar stats from a 2023 research report conducted by Common Sense Media, whichuncovered that these risks are especially prevalent among young girls. Common Sense’s report showed more than 50% of girls ages 11 to 15 were contacted by a stranger through social media apps and 45% believe location sharing negatively affects safety.

Even the most safety-conscious parents can overlook features like location sharing, which in many cases is automatically turned on and can be confusing to turn off. More intuitive app settings and parental education can help mitigate this silent risk for kids.

In addition to encountering predatory behavior online, kids live in a world where cyberbullying is a daily reality. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, in 2023, more than 25% of 13- to 17-year-old middle- and high school students said they had experienced cyberbullying.

Parents of children who are cyberbullied should tell them not to retaliate but to save the evidence, block the bully, and tell a parent or another trusted adult. They should then report the incident, whether it’s to the social media app itself, the school, sports organization, law enforcement — or all of the above.

While 1 in 7 parents admit to doing things like creating a fake social media account to monitor their children’s activity, those types of tactics won’t lead to safer phone behavior. Parental digital literacy is one of the best ways to keep children safe. It enables parents to have richer conversations with their children about online risk prevention, because they’ll know what questions to ask and can create healthy boundaries for phone use.

It’s important that parents keep an open mind when communicating with their kids about their phone habits. They’ll be more open to sharing now and in the future.

To learn more about how to keep children safer on their mobile phones, go to coxmobilesafety.com to access Cox Mobile’s full survey report and free tips and resources.

Jill Murphy is editor in chief and head of distribution at Common Sense Media.