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Cyber Safety Hub
Protecting kids in the digital world
Evidence-based guidance aligned with NIST, CISA, COPPA and leading cybersecurity standards — because your children deserve protection built on science.
⚠️ Know the risks
Top online threats for children
Understanding the risks is the first step to preventing them. Tap any threat to learn more.
😢 Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is when someone uses texts, social media, games or websites to hurt, embarrass or threaten another person — often again and again.
Warning signs
- Seems upset after using a device
- Hides the screen or stops using devices suddenly
- Withdraws from friends or school
What to do
- Listen calmly and thank them for telling you
- Save screenshots as evidence — don’t reply
- Block and report on the platform; tell the school if classmates are involved
🕵️ Online Predators
Online predators are adults who use the internet to build trust with children for harmful reasons, often pretending to be another kid.
Warning signs
- A new “friend” who gives gifts or lots of attention
- Secret accounts or deleted chat history
- Being asked to move to a private app
What to do
- Teach kids: never share photos, location or personal details
- Keep devices in shared family spaces
- Report to the NCMEC CyberTipline: 1-800-843-5678
🎣 Phishing & Scams
Phishing is when criminals pretend to be someone trusted — a bank, school or game company — to steal passwords, money or personal information.
Warning signs
- Urgent messages: “Act now or lose your account!”
- Prizes that seem too good to be true
- Links with misspelled web addresses
What to do
- Stop. Think. Connect. — never click links in surprise messages
- Check with a grown-up before entering any password
- Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA)
🚫 Inappropriate Content
The internet contains violent, adult or hateful material that isn’t right for children — and it can show up by accident.
Warning signs
- Sudden new words or ideas from online
- Quickly closing windows when you walk by
- Trouble sleeping or seeming anxious
What to do
- Turn on SafeSearch and YouTube Restricted Mode
- Use family-friendly DNS filtering on your router
- Tell kids: “If something feels weird, tell me — you won’t be in trouble”
📱 Screen Addiction
Too much screen time can affect sleep, health, mood, school work and relationships.
Warning signs
- Anger when asked to stop
- Losing interest in offline activities
- Using devices late at night
What to do
- Create a family media plan together
- Keep phones out of bedrooms at night
- Model healthy habits yourself
📏 Standards & guidelines
Built on proven frameworks
Every ComputerLeap program is grounded in recognized national and international standards — not opinions.
Framework
NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Security best practices used worldwide. Our programs align with its core functions: Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover.
Campaign
CISA Stop.Think.Connect.
Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
A national awareness campaign helping Americans stay safer online. Its principles are built into all our content.
Federal law
COPPA
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Gives parents control over what information sites and apps collect about children under 13. We teach families how to use those rights.
Standard
NIST SP 800-63B
Digital Identity Guidelines
The gold standard for passwords. Our password lessons follow it — including passphrases and multi-factor authentication.
Alliance
National Cybersecurity Alliance
staysafeonline.org
Leads Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Their community education approach guides ours.
Coalition
iKeepSafe
Internet Keep Safe Coalition
Promotes safe, healthy use of technology by children. Their framework informs our school curriculum.
🏡 Family Cyber Safety Plan
5 steps to a safer digital home
Based on guidance from CISA and the National Cybersecurity Alliance. Check off each step as your family completes it — your progress is saved on this device.
Our family plan
- Set device rules together — when, where and how long. Keep devices in shared spaces and phones out of bedrooms at night.
- Know their digital world — learn the apps, games and platforms your kids use, and try them yourself.
- Turn on protections — parental controls, SafeSearch, privacy settings and automatic updates on every device.
- Talk early and often — make it safe to share anything that feels weird online, without fear of losing devices.
- Practice what to do — block, screenshot, report and tell a trusted adult. Role-play it together!
🚨 Need help right now?
If a child is in immediate danger, call 911. To report online exploitation, contact the NCMEC CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678 or visit CyberTipline.org.
Ready to build a safer digital future? 🌟
Whether you want to learn, volunteer or support our mission, there’s a place for you here.