Free Tools for Talking with Young People About Online Safety
Free Tools for Talking with Young People About Online Safety
Young people use technology to learn, build relationships, play, and stay connected. Those benefits can also come with pressure, manipulation, unwanted contact, and requests that make a young person feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
National Safe Place, Inc. has created four free online-safety tip sheets to help young people and the adults who support them recognize concerning behavior, begin conversations, and know when to ask for help.
Download the NSP Online Safety Tip Sheets
Each tip sheet provides age-appropriate warning signs, safety habits, and options for reaching a trusted adult.
- Online Safety Tips for Elementary School Students explains that people online may not be who they claim to be. It encourages children to tell a trusted adult if someone asks them to keep a secret, move to a private conversation, share pictures, or do something that feels frightening or confusing.
- Online Safety Tips for Middle School Students addresses pressure, secrecy, private messages, requests for images, and people who become angry when a young person sets a boundary. It also reminds young people that asking for help is a smart choice, not a mistake.
- Online Safety Tips for High School Students focuses on control, consent, pressure, threats, and the gradual way online exploitation can develop. It reminds teenagers that they are never too far into a situation to withdraw consent or seek help.
- Online Safety Tips for Parents and Caregivers helps adults recognize possible changes in behavior and respond in ways that support disclosure. It emphasizes staying calm, avoiding blame, and focusing on safety rather than punishment.
Organizations can download and share these tip sheets with young people, families, educators, staff members, volunteers, and community partners.
Discuss behaviors instead of labeling people
Broad warnings about strangers may not prepare young people for situations involving someone they know, trust, admire, or depend on.
Help young people recognize specific behaviors, including:
- Pressure to keep conversations or relationships secret
- Requests to move from a public space or group chat into a private conversation
- Requests for personal information, passwords, photographs, or videos
- Gifts, compliments, or attention tied to expectations
- Anger, guilt, or threats when a young person sets a boundary
- Pressure to respond immediately or communicate late at night
- Attempts to separate a young person from trusted people
Concrete examples can help young people identify unsafe patterns without requiring them to decide whether someone is a “good” or “bad” person.
Make room for complicated situations
Online manipulation often begins with kindness, attention, or a sense of connection. A young person may care about or trust someone whose behavior has become unsafe.
Avoid questions that sound blaming, such as asking why the young person responded, shared information, or did not end the conversation sooner. Instead, ask:
- What happened?
- What do you need right now?
- Do you feel safe?
- Is someone pressuring or threatening you?
- Who would you feel comfortable involving?
A calm response makes it more likely that a young person will continue sharing important information.
Avoid taking away access automatically
Young people may hide concerns when they fear losing a phone, game, social connection, or access to the internet.
Safety responses should address the immediate concern while involving the young person in decisions whenever possible. Legal requirements or urgent safety needs may limit available choices, but adults can still explain what is happening and why.
Thank the young person for speaking up, reassure them that seeking help was the right decision, and focus on safety rather than punishment.
Explain what happens next
Young people should know whom they can contact, how to report a concern, and what may happen after they tell an adult.
Youth-serving organizations should maintain clear procedures for documenting concerns, preserving relevant information, reporting suspected abuse or exploitation, and involving supervisors or law enforcement when required. Staff members should explain each step in language the young person can understand.
Young people can also seek support through Safe Place® and TXT 4 HELP™. They can text SAFE and their current location to 4HELP (44357) to receive information about the nearest Safe Place location. They can reply 2CHAT to connect with a mental health professional.
Keep the conversation going
No single conversation can cover every online interaction or risk. Short, ongoing discussions create more opportunities for young people to ask questions, share concerns, and seek help when something feels wrong.
The NSP tip sheets can be used during individual conversations, family discussions, staff training, youth groups, community presentations, and outreach activities.
Additional resources
Online safety begins with knowledge, but young people also need adults who will listen calmly, take their concerns seriously, and help them determine what to do next.
