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A User's Guide to Online Safety

Read on for tips and tricks to help you steer clear of scammers and sketchy strangers.

October 2025
Rachel Morris

As you read, ask yourself: Am I putting myself at risk online? If so, how?

If you’re like many teens, much of your life takes place online. But as much as the internet helps you learn and connect, it’s also full of risks that can lead to embarrassment, financial loss, or even physical danger.

Think you’d never fall for an online scam? Think again. A 2023 study by the accounting firm Deloitte shows that teens are three times more likely than adults to get tricked online. “You may be tech savvy, but critical thinking is tied to brain development, and kids’ brains are still growing,” says Alanna Powers, a Research and Program Specialist at the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI). “This means you may not always have the ability to make the right decisions.” Unfortunately, scammers know that and often target teens. But the more you know about what to look out for, the less likely you are to fall for their traps. Here’s expert advice on how to handle some common threats.

A User’s Guide to Online Safety
Watch a video to learn more about staying safe on the internet.

The Safety Threat: Stranger Danger

Online predators often pretend to be teens to build trust with actual teens. Over time, they may try to isolate you from friends and family, ask for personal info, or even request inappropriate photos or videos.

This process is called grooming, and it’s a serious problem. According to the FBI, predators often use games, social media, and chat apps to target teens. Once they make contact, they may ask the teen for revealing photos. They’ll then threaten to share the photos if the teen doesn’t give them money or more inappropriate material.

“If this happens to you, know it’s not your fault,” says Powers. “Someone who’s older and knows better took advantage of you.”

What you can do:

  • Never share personal info like your full real name, address, phone number, or school with anyone you haven’t met IRL.
  • If someone starts acting weird, asks you to keep your conversations secret, asks for photos or videos of you, or makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, block them and tell a trusted adult.
  • Be skeptical of new online “friends” who want to move your conversation to private apps or ask you to video chat.
  • Don’t share revealing photos or videos with anyone, even if you think you can trust them. You never know where they’ll wind up.


Report suspicious online interactions to REPORT.CYBERTIP.ORG or by calling 1-800-843-5678.

The Safety Threat: Scams, Phishing, and Malware

You get a text that says you’ve won an iPhone. All you have to do is click a link and fill out a quick form. Sounds awesome, right?

Wrong. This type of scam is called phishing. In the same way a fisherman casts a baited line hoping to lure a fish, online phishers try to entice victims with offers of cash and free stuff. These scams can come through texts, emails, DMs, or links on websites. Some install malware that can steal your passwords, track your keystrokes, or even lock your files until you pay a ransom.

How to stay safe:

  • Don’t click links or download files from strangers. If a friend sends a file or link you didn’t expect, verify they meant to send it.
  • Keep your devices’ operating systems updated. Those updates fix security flaws that hackers exploit.
  • Use antivirus software on your devices, and enable two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication requires you to verify your identity in two ways. For example, inputting your password and also typing in a code sent to your phone. That way, even if someone gets your password, they still won’t be able to access your accounts.

Red Flags

Watch for these signs of a phishing or scam threat.

  • Too-good-to-be-true messages like “You just won $1,000!”
  • Urgent threats that pressure you to take action quickly, such as “Your account will be permanently deleted if you don’t act immediately!”
  • Strange grammar or spelling errors in a text, email, or DM
  • Links that look weird or have slight misspellings (faceboook.com instead of facebook.com, for example)

The Safety Threat: Oversharing

Your posts may be revealing more than you intend. For example, that selfie in your track team hoodie shows where you go to school. A stranger could use this information to try to get close to you by pretending to go to a nearby school.

Even if you don’t post revealing personal details, you should still be careful about what you share. An inappropriate joke that seems hilarious today could hurt your chances at a job, internship, or college acceptance later.

How to stay safe:

  • Avoid posting personal details like your last name, home address, or the name of your school. Always think about what someone could learn from the photos you post.
  • Think before you post: Would you want a future boss, coach, or college admissions officer to see it?
  • Check your privacy settings regularly. It’s safest to make photos that show your face or personal details visible to close friends only. Update your settings if friendships change or you fall out of touch with someone.

The Safety Threat: Compromised Privacy

You might think your social media accounts are private, but many apps quietly collect data on everything from your location to what you click on. That data can be sold or hacked, putting your identity and security at risk.

How to stay safe:

  • Review app permissions. Don’t give an app access to data or phone functions if you don’t need to use them.
  • Share your location only with people you trust, and review who has access regularly.
  • Use strong passwords that are different for each account, and change them often.

The Safety Threat: The AI Illusion

Scammers are now using artificial intelligence (AI) to clone voices and even create convincing videos. “Victims have received phone calls that sound exactly like a loved one in distress,” says Powers.

“They panic and send money—only to realize it was a scam.”

And this AI-generated content can be trickier to spot than you may think. In fact, in one recent FOSI study, teens and adults were shown three images. Only 9 percent correctly identified which of the images were fake.

How to stay safe:

  •  If you get a distressing call from someone you know asking you to send money, hang up and call the person directly.
  • Pick a family safety word—a code word only you and trusted people know.
  • Be skeptical of any request that seems emotionally manipulative or urgent.

The internet isn’t going anywhere—and neither are people who take advantage of others. But by staying alert, thinking critically, and protecting your privacy, you can outsmart the scammers, avoid the predators, and enjoy your digital life.

IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG

Even savvy users can get scammed. If something happens, don’t panic—and don’t try to fix it alone. If you are targeted, you can take these four steps.

1. Tell a trusted adult. This could be a parent, teacher, or school counselor.

2. Report the account or content to the platform—it may be taken down.

3. Change your passwords immediately if you think someone else has access.

4. Block and report predators or scammers. If it’s serious or illegal, contact the police.

REFLECTION PROMPT: Hackers and predators often target teens specifically. Why do you think this is? Write a paragraph that includes at least three reasons teens might be more vulnerable online than adults.

CAN YOU SPOT THE TRUTH?

Take this quiz to find out.

1

True or False? Using the same password for every account is risky, even if it’s a long, complex password.

True! One breach could expose every account you own.
2

True or False? A text from a bank saying you need to click a link to add money to your account immediately is probably legit.

False! Urgency is a classic red flag in scams. If you get a questionable text from your bank, call the customer service number on the bank’s website to verify the message is real.
3

True or False? Downloads from official app stores are generally safer than downloads from random websites.

True! Official stores screen apps for malware and security risks.
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