Academics · Subject Resources

Go through the apps
together.

A safety talk works best with the phone in hand. For each app your child uses, check together who can see posts, who sees their location and who can message them. The guide counts what to change, notes age limits, gives the reporting routes if images ever come up, and prints an agreement in your child’s own words.

Start a conversationWhat you get

Conversations

The worked example is made up: a 12-year-old with a new phone, a 15-year-old sharing location on a map app, and a 9-year-old on a family tablet. Apps are described by kind. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Academics · Subject ResourcesFree

What you finish with
A record per child: age and device; each app with what it is for, account privacy, location sharing and who can message; what they like, the worries to talk about, their plan for when something feels wrong and the adult they will tell; six agreements. Counts public accounts, shared location and open messages and prints a one-page family agreement.
Who it is for
Parents and caregivers of children and teens from about 8 to 17 who use apps, games with chat or a phone of their own.
Format
Browser discussion guide with a saved record per child. Prints the family agreement, the full record, every conversation in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Subject Resources space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Sit down with the device.
  2. Open each app’s settings together.
  3. Ask what they like before what worries you.
  4. Agree on a plan in their words.
  5. Print the agreement and set a date to check again.

Start a conversation

What the guidance says

Three settings to check in every appSettingSafer choiceWhy it mattersWho sees postsPrivate, approved followersStrangers cannot see photos or routinesLocationOff, or a few named peopleLive location shows where a child is nowWho can messageFriends onlyMost unwanted contact starts in messagesBlock and reportKnow where both areA child who can use them willThree settings to check in every appWho sees postsSafer choice: Private, approvedfollowersWhy it matters: Strangers cannot seephotos or routinesLocationSafer choice: Off, or a few named peopleWhy it matters: Live location showswhere a child is nowWho can messageSafer choice: Friends onlyWhy it matters: Most unwanted contactstarts in messagesBlock and reportSafer choice: Know where both areWhy it matters: A child who can use themwill
Look at the settings together, in the app, rather than describing them.

Start with what they like

Children tell more to a parent who is curious than to one who is checking. Asking what they enjoy first, and watching a video or game with them, makes the settings talk a shared job.

No trouble for telling

Many children do not report a frightening message because they expect to lose the phone. Saying clearly that they will not be punished for telling, even if they made a mistake, keeps the door open.

If images come up

Sextortion, pressure to send images followed by threats or demands for money, is a crime. Do not pay, save the messages, block and report to the NCMEC CyberTipline. Take It Down helps remove images of anyone under 18.

Sources

  1. U.S. Office of the Surgeon General. (2023). Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory.
  2. American Academy of Pediatrics. Family Media Plan, and the Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health.
  3. Federal Trade Commission. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA): frequently asked questions.
  4. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. CyberTipline (report.cybertip.org, 1-800-843-5678) and Take It Down (takeitdown.ncmec.org).
  5. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sextortion: guidance for parents and caregivers.

The worked example is made up. Settings differ by app and change often; open each app’s privacy settings to see the current choices. In an emergency or if a child is in danger, call 911. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.