Screen Time Summer Safety Tips
School’s out for summer! And that means children have more free time — and more screen time — on their hands. Whether it’s their phone, laptop, or gaming system, kids will be spending a lot of time online, and that comes with inherent risks.
Here are some helpful tips to protect your child’s mental and physical safety online this summer.
Content Exposure
1 in 5 youth experience unwanted exposure to sexually explicit material online. (Source: Madiganet al., 2018)
While online, minors may be exposed to inappropriate and explicit material, violence, misinformation, unrealistic social comparisons, distorted realities, AI, and cyberbullying.
What you can do:
- Set up parental controls and safety features on every device.
- Get familiar with the apps and games your child uses, and enable available safety features.
- Set their social media accounts to private.
- Make online time a shared activity by watching videos, learning, and/or playing games together.
- Talk regularly about what your child is seeing and doing online.
Crimes Against Children
Between 2021 and 2023, the number of online enticement reports, including sextortion, increased more than 300%. (Source: NCMEC, 2026)
Predators often use manipulation, coercion, and grooming tactics to gain trust and take advantage of minors online. This can lead to sextortion — threats or blackmail used to exploit children sexually or financially.
What you can do:
- Monitor who your child is talking to online.
- Know who their online friends are — the same way you know their in-person friends.
- Be aware of apps and games with built-in messaging or photo/video sharing features, especially those with disappearing messages.
- Turn off public location-sharing features whenever possible.
- Stay informed about current online trends and risks.
Teach your child to:
- Never share their personal information (full name, address, passwords, etc.).
- Never send nude or partially nude photos to anyone.
- Say no if someone asks them to continue talking on a different app.
- Never open attachments or links without parental permission.
- Never meet online friends in-person.
- Avoid accepting friend or follow requests from people they don’t know.
Mental Health Concerns
Adolescents who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media are twice as likely to experience depression & anxiety. (Source: Riehm et al., 2019)
Too much screen time can lead to overstimulation, reduced deep thinking, weakened focus, increased loneliness, and lower self-esteem. It can also replace things children need most: adequate sleep, in-person social interactions, free play, boredom, and time outside.
What you can do:
- Set limits on screen time.
- Establish “screen-free” zones, like bedrooms and family mealtimes.
- Encourage outdoor play and physical activities.
- Prioritize in-person interactions with trusted friends and family.
- Model healthy screen habits as a parent or caregiver.
The Most Important Step
The best way to keep children safe online is to maintain open, ongoing conversations about online risks and what to do if something happens.
Be honest and open with your child. Let them know you monitor their online activity to help keep them safe. Most importantly, make sure they know they can always come to you for help — without fear of punishment or shame — if something online makes them uncomfortable.
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