Back-to-school season brings new teachers, new schedules, new supplies—and a whole new round of apps, accounts, devices, group chats, and online forms. As a dad, I’ve learned that protecting our kids online is not about becoming the “technology police.” It is about creating enough trust that they will talk to us before a small online mistake becomes a bigger problem.
That is why I created the books and free resources at DadCyberTips: to help parents start practical, age-appropriate conversations about privacy, security, and the digital choices our kids make every day.
The school supply nobody lists
We remember the notebooks, backpacks, lunchboxes, and calculators. But today’s school supply list often has an invisible section:
- A school email address
- Learning platforms and classroom apps
- Shared documents and video calls
- Phones, tablets, and laptops
- Social media, games, and group chats
- Passwords for more accounts than most of us can count
Every one of those tools can collect information, create opportunities to overshare, or expose kids to scams, unwanted contact, and pressure from peers. The goal is not to scare them away from technology. Technology is part of school, friendship, creativity, and everyday life. The goal is to make privacy something they understand before they need it.
A good place to begin is simple: ask your child, “What apps or websites will you be using for school this year?” Then ask, “What information do they ask you to share?” You may be surprised by what comes up.
Make privacy a conversation
The best cyber-safety conversation is rarely a one-time lecture. It happens in short, calm moments—on the drive to school, while setting up a new device, or when a suspicious text arrives.
- “If someone online asked where you go to school, what would you say?”
- “What would make a message or link feel suspicious to you?”
- “Do you know who can see what you post, share, or comment on?”
- “If a friend asks for your password, what could you say?”
- “If something online makes you uncomfortable, who could you talk to?”
The most important message is this: you will not be in trouble for coming to me. Kids are more likely to ask for help when they believe they will be heard first and corrected second.
That trust matters. A child who tells you about a strange message, an embarrassing post, a new online friend, or a school-app problem gives your family a chance to handle it together.
Use the resources together
The books and freebies on DadCyberTips are designed to make these conversations easier—not more complicated.
For parents who want a bigger-picture starting point, Raising Privacy-Smart Kids can help frame privacy as a family habit instead of a list of restrictions. It is a useful reminder that kids watch what we do: how we share photos, respond to emails, use passwords, and talk about people online.
For a practical foundation, The Essential Privacy Guide and Taking Back Control can help families think through everyday privacy choices and develop better habits one step at a time.
And if you are not sure where to start, begin with a free resource. The DadCyberTips freebies include the Gmail Privacy Guide and 5 Basic Privacy Facts Every Person Should Know. The Gmail guide covers actions such as turning on 2-Step Verification and reviewing connected apps and forwarding rules—excellent tasks to complete side by side with an older child.
Instead of handing your child a guide and saying, “Read this,” try making it a family activity:
- Pick one free guide or one chapter.
- Read it together for 10 minutes.
- Ask each person to name one thing they did not know.
- Choose one privacy habit to improve that week.
- Revisit it without judgment the following weekend.
Small actions count. Updating a password, removing an app permission, turning on two-factor authentication, or reviewing a social-media privacy setting can become a teachable moment.
A dad’s back-to-school checklist
Here are a few things worth doing before the first bell—or anytime during the school year:
- Review the apps and platforms your child needs for school.
- Use unique, strong passwords for school email and major accounts.
- Enable two-factor authentication where it is available, especially for email.
- Check privacy settings on social media, gaming, and messaging apps.
- Talk about what should never be posted publicly: full name, school, address, daily schedule, passwords, and live location.
- Teach the “pause before you click” rule for unexpected emails, texts, QR codes, and links.
- Make sure your child knows they can ask for help if a person, post, message, image, or game makes them uneasy.
It is also worth reviewing which apps have access to your child’s location, camera, microphone, contacts, and photos. Many apps ask for more information than they actually need. A good family rule is: if we do not understand why an app needs something, we do not approve it yet.
Start before you need to
You do not have to be a cybersecurity expert to help your child make smarter choices online. You just need to stay curious, stay involved, and make room for honest conversations.
This school year, do not wait for a hacked account, a phishing message, a stranger request, or an overshared post to bring up privacy. Start now. Pick a DadCyberTips book or free guide, sit down with your child, and have one conversation.
Then have another next week.
Because the best protection we can give our kids is not fear. It is awareness, confidence, and the knowledge that Dad is always in their corner.