When an online friend wants a secret
[Two-sentence summary of what this teaches, written from its sources.]
If something happened to you, it was not your fault. Learning to protect yourself is never a way of saying otherwise.
Working description: Grooming red flags; sextortion is never your fault; Take It Down and CyberTipline.
Start the talk
Say it in your own words. These are the ideas to get across, not a script to read.
The talking points, each numbered to its source. Draw on: K13, K14, K12, K16, K25, K24.
Ask "what would you do?"
Let them answer first. There's no wrong answer, only a chance to talk it through.
Three everyday scenarios a child this age would recognise, from the sources, and what a good answer sounds like.
Try it together
A short activity or game that practises the lesson, from the sources.
If your child tells you something
How to respond calmly if your child tells you something: what to say and not say, never promising to keep it secret, keeping them away from the person, and who to contact. From the sources: Darkness to Light (K15), Stop It Now (K18), the Justice Department's NSOPW (K19) and NCTSN (K20).
Needs expert review before publishing, including any mention of reporting, which varies by state.
Sources
- Sextortion: What Parents Should Know (PDF) (NCMEC / NetSmartz) (K13)
- Know2Protect: Take Action (DHS) (K14)
- Back to School, Back to Safety (NCMEC) (K12)
- Behaviors to Watch For / Signs a Child May Harm Another (Stop It Now) (K16)
- Peer Pressure (Facts for Families 104) (AACAP) (K25)
- Parents' Ultimate Guide to Your 10–12-Year-Old's Digital World (Common Sense Media) (K24)
Summarized from public sources with the help of AI, reviewed by Stacy Willis.