Raising children in today’s highly digital world is no easy task. As adults, we may be aware of some online dangers, but the potential risks to our children can feel overwhelming. At the Dragonfly Centre, we provide preventative education and support services to help families navigate challenges like these.
As we recognize World Internet Safety Day (February 11th), we encourage you as a guardian to take an extra step in ensuring your child’s online safety.
Understanding Digital Safety
To start, let’s define some key terms:
- Screen time – The time spent using any screen, including TVs, computers, gaming consoles, smartphones, or tablets.
- Digital media – Any content shared through the internet or computer networks across various devices.
- Digital media literacy – The ability to critically, effectively, and responsibly access, use, understand, and engage with digital content.
Online Risks for Children
Children and youth may encounter various risks in the digital world, including:
- Exposure to inappropriate content (sexual images, videos, violence, explicit language)
- Identity theft and data breaches
- Cyberbullying and harassment
- Online predators
- Threats to personal safety (written or verbal)
- Excessive screen time affecting mental and physical health
Age-Appropriate Digital Safety Conversations
Ages 0-5: Laying the Foundation
Babies and toddlers learn best through interactive play, books, songs, and meaningful communication with caregivers. At this stage, we can begin establishing safe digital habits by:
- Creating kid-friendly accounts and using parental controls on apps.
- Limiting exposure to high-stimulation content and prioritizing low-stimulation, educational programming.
- Encouraging frequent movement breaks to reduce passive screen time.
- Talking early about basic online safety and setting consistent screen time limits.
According to the Canadian Paediatric Society, nearly all children in Canada are exposed to screens by age 2, yet only 15% of children aged 3 to 4 meet the recommended screen time limit of less than one hour per day. At this age, the focus should be on ensuring content is developmentally appropriate and limiting prolonged screen exposure to support healthy brain development.
Low Stimulation Apps & Platforms
When selecting digital content for young children, choosing low-stimulation, developmentally appropriate apps and platforms can help foster healthy engagement without overwhelming sensory input. Some excellent options include:
Educational Apps:
- Khan Academy Kids – Free, interactive learning activities designed for young children.
- PBS Kids Games – Engaging, age-appropriate educational games that support early literacy and problem-solving.
- Sago Mini World – A creative play-based app with gentle animations and open-ended exploration.
- Endless Alphabet – A vocabulary-building app with soothing visuals and interactive word games.
- Toca Boca Apps – Open-ended, creative play experiences that encourage storytelling and role-play.
Ages 6-8: Private vs. Public Information
At this stage, children are becoming more independent online and may start engaging in online gaming, video watching, and social interactions. Teaching them the difference between private and public information is crucial for their online safety.
Start by explaining:
Some types of information are safe to share online, while others should never be shared, especially with people they don’t know in person.
Examples of PRIVATE information that should never be shared online:
- Physical identifying features (e.g., what they look like, where they usually play)
- Photos of us
- Home or school address
- SIN number
- Date of birth
- Parents’ credit card or banking information
- Phone number
Examples of PUBLIC information that is generally okay to share:
- Hobbies (e.g., “I love soccer!”)
- Favourite foods, colours, or animals
- First name (preferably a nickname)
- Opinions (when shared respectfully)
Kids of this age learn best through role play, educational videos, and educational games.
As the guardian, by taking the above information and changing it into a fun interactive game, it will help them learn and retain the information. Below is an example that you could use:
How to Teach This Concept:
Children at this age learn best through role play, educational videos, and interactive games. Guardians can turn learning into a fun, engaging activity to help kids retain the information.
Example Game: “Safe to Share?”
- Write down different types of information (both private and public) on slips of paper.
- Mix them up in a bowl.
- Take turns drawing a slip and deciding if the information is safe (public) or unsafe (private) to share online.
- Explain why a piece of information is private and what could happen if it’s shared.
By practicing this regularly, children can build confidence in making safe online choices while developing a healthy awareness of digital privacy.
The profile above contains a lot of PRIVATE info The profile above contains “okay” or PUBLIC info
Review examples together and discuss what these profiles can tell us about the person, and what impact it could have if we were to share personal information online.
Ages 9-12: Digital Footprint & Online Responsibility
The preteen years are a critical time to reinforce digital safety. At this age, children are still highly receptive to new ideas but are also becoming more influenced by peers. As they begin spending more time online socializing, gaming, and exploring digital spaces, it’s important to guide them toward safe and responsible online behavior.
Key Safety Topics to Address:
- Understanding Digital Footprints – Everything posted, shared, or liked online can stay online permanently and impact their future.
- Setting Boundaries – Discuss time management, parental controls, and what types of content are off-limits.
- Recognizing Harmful Interactions – Help them identify cyberbullying, inappropriate messages, and risky online behaviors.
- Building Digital Media Literacy – Teach them to evaluate online content, recognize misinformation, and engage responsibly.
Conversation Starter: Digital Footprint Video
A great way to introduce this conversation is by watching this video on digital footprints together and discussing the possible long-term implications of online actions.
Encourage Open Communication:
- Use direct, clear language when setting digital boundaries.
- Regularly review online activity without making it feel like surveillance, let them know you’re there to protect, not punish.
- Let them know you are their safe adult, if they encounter something unsafe or even make a mistake online, they can come to you for help without fear of punishment.
Tip: Children at this age may begin seeking out inappropriate content out of curiosity. Instead of reacting with shame or punishment, turn mistakes into teaching moments and learn together about safe, responsible internet use. See this blog post on Talking to Youth About Online Sexual Images: A Guide for Caregivers
Ages 13+: Digital Safety & Responsible Device Use
As youth move into their teenage years, many will receive their own cellphones, laptops, or other digital devices. This transition provides opportunities for growth and independence, but it also requires guidance on responsibility and safety.
Before giving your teen a personal device, set the tone by having an open conversation about expectations, maturity, and responsibility.
Ways to foster conversations surrounding digital safety:
- A parent/child contract outlining safety, responsibility and expectations that can be created together to give them some autonomy
- Discussion of what is/isn’t appropriate to share online including digital media and using proper language.
- Share the POSITIVES of internet access and social media with your teen. Share ways that YOU use it to improve your daily life (research, information, online groceries, banking, catching up with long-distance friends).
Good Digital Parenting Tool – Family Online Safety Agreement for Teens
Our Role as Guardians
As guardians, it is essential to take time from our busy lives to stay informed, educated, and empowered in order to make internet safety a priority for our children. By attending parent seminars on digital safety, reading trusted articles, journals, and blog posts, and engaging in ongoing learning, we can build the knowledge and confidence needed to have important, age-appropriate conversations with our kids.
At The Dragonfly Centre, our goal is to foster communities free from sexual violence. When adults take the initiative to educate themselves on digital safety, they can pass this knowledge on to their children—helping them become more aware, open, and prepared to recognize risks, seek help, and respond to challenging online situations they will likely encounter.
If you need additional resources or recommendations, please don’t hesitate to reach out:
Call us at 1-866-300-4325
Use our anonymous and confidential Izzy chat feature, located at the bottom right-hand corner of our website’s home page.
Together, we can create a safer digital world for the next generation.
References:
https://cps.ca/en/documents/position/screen-time-and-preschool-children