Expert Tips To Protect Your Kids From Online Threats This Summer

With summer break approaching and screen time set to surge, safety experts are urging parents to be more proactive about their childrens online activity.

As kids and teens spend more hours browsing, gaming, and chatting, the digital world can open the door to risks ranging from cyberbullying to grooming by online predators.

Steve Webb, a Certified Social Media Intelligence Expert and author of “Education in a Violent World,” is encouraging families to treat internet safety as a core part of parenting — especially during the summer months when supervision often slips and online use spikes.

As founder of Safe Secure/School Systems, Webb combines real-world law enforcement experience with an academic focus on educational administration and policy. He warns that knowing how to use a device is not the same as knowing how to stay safe online, and children need digital guidance from trusted adults just as much as they need supervision in the real world.

Popular platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok continue to dominate teen usage, but Webb highlights growing concerns around anonymous messaging apps such as NGL, Whisper and Tellonym. These platforms enable users to interact without revealing their identity — a feature that, according to Webb, has led to increased instances of bullying, harassment, and inappropriate contact.

To help parents better protect their children online, Webb outlines several practical steps, including talking openly with kids about real-world dangers, such as one of the many examples of news stories about kids who had been kidnapped utilizing social media. Parents should also ask children if theyve used or heard of anonymous apps like NGL, Whisper and Tellonym, and discuss the risks.

Webb says parents should create a list of every app installed on the childs phone and research them. It’s a good idea to review apps together, setting clear expectations and boundaries, but parents should maintain control over the app store password to prevent unsupervised downloads.

It’s also important to remember that tablets, laptops, and even gaming consoles can be used to message strangers, not just phones.

Webb says an open line of communication is the best defense, and parents should check in regularly by asking if their kids have received unusual messages or experienced online bullying.