Digital Wellness and Personal Security Spring Cleaning (Elementary Students)
As we move into a well-earned spring season, it’s a great time to help students refresh and reflect on their digital habits. Just like cleaning out a backpack or tidying a bedroom, our online lives benefit from a little “spring cleaning,” too. This week is a perfect opportunity for parents to talk with their kids about online safety, privacy, and healthy technology use.
Young learners are just beginning to understand what it means to be responsible digital citizens. Parents can use these suggestions to talk about personal information, explore what passwords do, and better understand what accounts children may have already created.
Family Activities and Discussions:
Understanding Passwords
For our youngest students, explain to your child that passwords are “secret words that protect your digital stuff,” helping kids visualize them as digital locks.
Family Password Practice
Together, brainstorm strong, memorable passwords using phrases or favorite book titles (without sharing them online). You can include numbers, symbols, or long phrases that are easy to remember but not easily guessable.
Personal Account Awareness Check
On personal devices, ask your child:
“Do you have any apps or games where you log in with a username or password?”
“Who helped you sign up?”
“Can we look together at which ones we still use and want to keep?”
“Do you know what personal information you should never share online—like your name, school, or address?”
Encourage open conversation, focusing on curiosity instead of consequence. Kids are more likely to share when they feel you’re partnering with them, not policing them.
Digital Wellness and Personal Security Spring Cleaning (Middle School and High School Students)
As we move into a well-earned spring season, it’s a great time to help students refresh and reflect on their digital habits. Just like cleaning out a backpack or tidying a bedroom, our online lives benefit from a little “spring cleaning,” too. This week is a perfect opportunity for parents to talk with their kids about online safety, privacy, and healthy technology use.
Personal Information and Gaming
Discuss how usernames, voice chat, or group games can sometimes reveal personal details. Reinforce that real names, location, school names, photos, or contact information should never be shared. The Connect Safely Parent Guides are excellent resources on many topics, including gaming privacy for Twitch, Roblox, and social media platforms.
Age-Appropriate Accounts
Many popular social platforms (like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat) have a 13+ age requirement. Talk about why these rules exist, to protect user privacy and support age-appropriate experiences, and the importance of being truthful about age settings.
Password Spring Cleaning
Review old accounts and delete ones they no longer use.
Update passwords that are reused across multiple sites.
Choose longer passphrases that are unique for schoolwork, games, and social media.
Only write down passwords in a secured, parent-approved notebook.