TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—On National App Day, Attorney General Ashley Moody is encouraging parents and guardians to protect children online by monitoring a child’s activities on mobile phones and implementing parental control measures. According to research, 95% of teenagers have a smartphone and 43% of children ages 8 to 12 also have a smartphone. Online predators and traffickers lurk on mobile apps and social media to target children. Attorney General Moody is offering online safety tips for parents to protect children from digital drug dealers, sexual predators and human traffickers.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “On National App Day, I’m urging parents to pay attention to what children are doing on their phones. There are many apps out there, and while some may be helpful, it is important to know there are dangers lurking in cyberspace—from digital drug dealers to online predators and traffickers. Please, be aware of what your children are looking at online and who they are talking to and use parental controls to keep them safe.”
Attorney General Moody is offering essential tips for parents to enhance their child’s online safety:
- Open Communication:Talk about online safety, and encourage children to share concerning encounters while using mobile apps;
- Set Boundaries:Set clear guidelines on what children can view and share while using mobile devices;
- Use Parental Controls:Enable parental controls on devices and apps. These allow parents to manage and restrict content, screen time and more;
- Regularly Monitor:Routinely review a child’s mobile activity. Stay informed about the apps being used and interactions that happen with people online. Keep in mind that many apps have a vanishing feature where messages will disappear after being read; and
- Stay Updated:Be informed about the latest trends in apps and digital platforms. Being aware of emerging apps helps in understanding potential risks.
Last year, Attorney General Moody released the Online Safety Toolkit, designed to help empower parents to teach their children about the dangers of human traffickers online. The toolkit contains a list of apps commonly used by predators that parents need to know about.
Attorney General Moody previously shared parental control resources to help parents protect children online.
