Kids Internet Safety Lab: A Parent's Calm Plan
For parents, carers and teachers. Play a fictional parent: start the conversation, set up controls, handle a stranger in a game, a scam and a message that scared a child. Each choice has a reason. Nothing is collected about any child. Prefer to read first? Start with the internet safety for kids checklist.
You are Sam Rivera, a parent who wants the household to be safer online. Your co-carer Jordan and a neighbour, Mrs Alvarez, have opinions. Across 12 decisions you start the conversation, set up devices and controls, tighten privacy, deal with strangers and in-game chat, handle a scam aimed at your child and respond when something goes wrong. Everything here is fictional, nothing is collected about any child, and you are asked for no child details. Each call is scored 0 to 10 with the reason, based on guidance from CEOP Education, NCMEC and the FTC. This is general guidance; for a real concern contact the organisations named in the feedback.
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TL;DRWhat this lab is
5 points
- A scenario lab for adults: a fictional parent sets up a household for safer online life, then handles an in-game stranger, a scam aimed at a child and a frightening message.
- You make 12 scored decisions: talking early, device setup, parental controls and their limits, app privacy, strangers, screen time, scams, reporting, signs to watch for and photo sharing.
- The reasoning follows CEOP Education, NCMEC (CyberTipline and Take It Down) and the FTC on COPPA. It points to the NSPCC and the eSafety Commissioner without quoting them.
- Free to play. You get a final score and grade, a shareable scorecard and next-step links. A downloadable debrief is available with a paid plan.
- It is not for children, collects nothing about any child and asks for no child details. For a real concern, contact the organisations named in the feedback or your emergency services.
Frequently asked questions
Is this lab for children?
No. It is written for parents, carers and teachers. The people in it are fictional and nothing asks for a child's name, age or photo.
Where does the advice come from?
From CEOP Education's parent guidance, NCMEC's CyberTipline and Take It Down pages and the FTC's page on children's privacy and COPPA. The blog checklist links each source.
What should I do if my child is being threatened online?
Stay calm, do not blame them, keep evidence without forwarding any image, and report. In the US use NCMEC's CyberTipline, in the UK CEOP or the police, in Australia the eSafety Commissioner and police. Call your emergency number if a child is in immediate danger.
Do parental controls keep a child completely safe?
No. They help, but they cover only what you set up and do not build judgement. The lab treats them as one layer alongside conversation and a plan.
How is it scored?
Each decision scores 0 to 10 and the final score is the share of the maximum. Every answer comes with a short reason, so you learn why a choice helps or hurts.
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