Cybersecurity Tips for Families: A Safer Internet for Kids and Teens
On Safer Internet Day, Google and YouTube are reinforcing their commitment to online safety for children and teenagers. With the digital landscape constantly evolving, providing a secure online environment for young users is more crucial than ever. This year brings exciting updates to parental controls, built-in protections, and expanded partnerships designed to empower families and promote responsible technology use.
Enhanced Parental Controls for Peace of Mind
Managing your child’s digital life just got easier. Updated parental controls on Google Family Link and YouTube offer a streamlined experience. The redesigned Google Family Link now allows parents to manage devices from a single, intuitive page. You can easily view device-specific usage summaries, set time limits, and adjust controls from a consolidated screen-time management tab.
For YouTube users, a revamped sign-up process simplifies creating kid accounts and switching between profiles. Parents can now precisely control the amount of time spent scrolling through Shorts – with the option to set a timer to zero – and customize Bedtime and Take a Break reminders. These features build upon existing wellbeing protections, ensuring a healthy digital balance.
Built-in Protections: A Layered Approach to Safety
YouTube prioritizes safety through several built-in protections. Age estimation, powered by machine learning, ensures young viewers receive an age-appropriate experience. The platform also limits recommendations of potentially problematic content for teens, preventing repetitive exposure to unsuitable material.
Furthermore, Take a Break and Bedtime reminders are automatically enabled for users under 18, with Take a Break defaulting to a 60-minute trigger. Privacy is also paramount: uploads are private by default for creators aged 13 to 17.
Focus and Learning: Supporting School and Education
Distraction-free learning is now more accessible with School time support for Android phones and tablets. This feature allows parents to schedule limited phone functionality and silenced notifications during school hours. Flexible settings accommodate vacations, days off, and even lunch breaks, ensuring a tailored experience.
Promoting High-Quality Content for Teens
YouTube is dedicated to fostering a positive and enriching online environment for teens. New teen quality content principles and a creator guide outline the characteristics of fun, age-appropriate, and high-quality content. These principles guide the recommendation system, prioritizing and amplifying videos that align with these standards. YouTube continues to collaborate with trusted content creators like Sesame Street to deliver enriching content to families.
AI Literacy and Guided Learning
Preparing the next generation for the age of AI is a key priority. Google’s Be Internet Awesome AI literacy guide provides educators with downloadable lesson plans and classroom activities for grades 2-8.
Gemini’s Guided Learning mode acts as a personal AI learning companion, encouraging students to explore complex subjects through probing questions and in-depth exploration, rather than simply providing answers. This fosters a deeper understanding and critical thinking skills.
Expanding Partnerships for Wider Reach
In 2025, Google’s partners trained over 60,000 caregivers, educators, and parents on online safety tools. Today, Google is expanding its partnerships with leading organizations, including the National Parent Teacher Association, the National Center for Families and Learning, and the National Cybersecurity Alliance, to train an additional 200,000 families and practitioners.
By working together, we can create a safer and more positive online experience for all children and teens.
