Online Safety Guide for Parents (March 2025)
- John O'Maley
- Mar 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 21
Online Safety Guide for Parents (March 2025)
(Condensed)
Newsletter #8A
From: Parents Protecting Children, Inc,. strongerfamiliesonline.org.
The digital world offers incredible opportunities for children, but it’s also full of dangers. Predators and scammers are using increasingly sophisticated tools—including AI—to exploit kids online. Below, we outline the key threats and practical steps to keep your family safe.
Social Media & Messaging Risks
Social platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Kik are hotspots for predators. They create fake profiles, posing as kids or teens, to gain a child’s trust. Grooming often starts with compliments or gifts and escalates to requests for personal photos or information. Apps with disappearing messages or anonymous chat—like Snapchat and Omegle—make it harder for parents to spot red flags.
How to Stay Safe:
Set profiles to private and turn off location-sharing.
Educate kids on recognizing grooming tactics, such as strangers asking them to keep secrets or move chats to private platforms.
Risky Gaming Platforms
Games like Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft provide spaces where predators contact children via chat features. They build trust by helping with quests or offering virtual items, then shift conversations to private channels or even engage kids in inappropriate behavior within virtual spaces. Children are also targeted by scams promising free in-game currency but stealing their credentials instead.
How to Stay Safe:
Enable parental controls to restrict chat to known friends.
Warn kids about downloading cheat tools or clicking on links for game freebies as these often install malware.
The Rise of AI-Driven Threats
Predators now use AI to manipulate children. Deepfake software is creating fake explicit images to blackmail or groom minors. AI chatbots can convincingly impersonate kids, quickly establishing trust. Even AI-generated voice clones are used to deceive children or parents. These technologies make it harder to distinguish between real and fake content online.
How to Stay Safe:
Teach children to be skeptical of things they see or hear online, even if they look real.
Monitor their online interactions and discuss how generative AI tools could be misused.
Phishing and Fraud
Many scams targeting children aren’t sexual—they’re financial. Cybercriminals send messages mimicking game companies or influencers to trick kids into sharing passwords or personal information. Sextortion scams are also on the rise, where predators blackmail children into sending money or more explicit content after acquiring compromising material.
How to Stay Safe:
Warn kids about the dangers of sharing personal data online.
Regularly review your child’s devices for suspicious pop-ups, messages, or unauthorized apps.
Practical Tips for Parents
Open Communication: Talk to your kids often about online safety. Make sure they know they can come to you if they feel uncomfortable or threatened.
Use Parental Controls: Apps like Bark and Qustodio can filter content and flag inappropriate messages. Set devices to block downloads from unverified sources.
Monitor Behavior: Watch for signs of secrecy, anxiety, or excessive use of specific platforms—these could indicate an issue.
Report & Block Offenders: Teach kids how to block and report inappropriate users on apps or games. Serious concerns, such as receiving explicit material, should be reported to CyberTipline.org.
The internet is here to stay, and with it, the risks. But by staying alert, using monitoring tools, and fostering open communication, you can create a safer digital environment for your family.
Take Action
Learn more about these threats and how to protect your children at strongerfamiliesonline.org
For a complete and detailed update on all the latest threats thru March 2025, click here:
Deacon John O’Maley
Founder, Parents Protecting Children, Inc.
Phone: 513-227-7191
Email: Johnjoy1@aol.com
Empowering Catholic families to navigate the digital world with faith, safety, & responsibility
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