Every parent's primary concern is the safety and well-being of their child. In today's high-tech world, though, it can often be easier keeping kids out of physical danger than digital. The following article – by Lisa Lake, of the Federal Trade Commission – offers tips for parents on what they should tell their children, to keep them from being exploited online.

Online games and websites for kids are everywhere these days – to the point where it’s commonplace to see toddlers playing with them, too. And while the internet often offers a positive way for children to explore and learn, privacy concerns are lurking. To help protect children’s privacy, the FTC enforces the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires websites and online services to obtain consent from parents before collecting personal information from kids younger than 13.

According to the FTC, i-Dressup, a website allowing users to play dress-up games, and its owners violated COPPA by collecting personal information from kids –  including names, email addresses, and user names – without obtaining parental consent and failing to take reasonable steps to protect this information. This led to a breach of i-Dressup’s network in August 2016. As a result of the breach, a hacker accessed the personal information and account passwords of over two million i-Dressup users, including at least 245,000 children under 13.

So how can you protect your child online? Here are some ways: