5 Simple Actions You Can Take to Keep Your Family Safe Online

Online safety can feel overwhelming. There are endless apps, new scams every week, and a constant stream of warnings. The good news is that a handful of basic steps protect most families from most problems, and none of them requires technical expertise.

Here are five actions you can take this week. Each one takes less than an hour.

1. Turn on automatic updates everywhere

Updates aren't just new features. Most of them fix security holes that criminals already know about. An out-of-date phone, laptop or router is the easiest target there is.

Do this on every device in the house:

1. Phones and tablets: On iPhone and iPad, go to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates and turn them on. On Android, check Settings > System > Software updates (wording varies by manufacturer) and allow automatic updates.
2. Computers: Turn on automatic updates in Windows Update or macOS Software Update.
3. Apps: Allow the App Store and Google Play to update apps automatically.
4. Router and smart devices: Log in to your router's app or admin page and check for firmware updates. Many newer routers update themselves; older ones may need replacing if they no longer receive updates.

If a device is too old to get updates at all, it's time to stop using it for anything that involves passwords or payments.

2. Lock down your most important accounts

Your email account is the master key to your digital life. Anyone who controls it can reset the passwords to everything else.

• Turn on two-step verification or passkeys for email, banking, Apple or Google accounts, and social media. A passkey lets you sign in with your face, fingerprint or device PIN instead of a password, and it can't be phished the way passwords can.
• Use a password manager. The ones built into iPhone, Android and major browsers are free and generate strong, unique passwords for every site. Reused passwords are one of the main ways accounts get taken over.
• Set up recovery options. Make sure your recovery phone number and email are current, so you can get back in if something goes wrong.

Teach older kids to do the same for their own accounts, starting with their email and any account they use to sign in to games or social apps.

3. Use the parental controls you already have

You don't need to buy anything to get solid protection for kids. Both major platforms include free tools:

• Apple Screen Time (iPhone, iPad, Mac): content and age-rating limits, website filtering, app time limits, Downtime, approved contacts, and Ask to Buy for downloads and purchases.
• Google Family Link (Android, Chromebook): app approvals, content filters for Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, screen time limits and device location.

Then add a few service-level settings:

• Turn on SafeSearch in Google search.
• Use YouTube's supervised experiences for kids and preteens.
• Turn on teen account protections and supervision on Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok if your teen uses them.

Controls aren't a substitute for supervision, but they catch a lot of what kids would otherwise stumble on. Our piece on the best parental control tool explains why your involvement still matters most.

4. Review privacy and location settings

Kids often share far more than they realize, especially through location data and public profiles.

1. Location services: On each child's phone, review which apps can see location. Most only need it "While Using," and many don't need it at all. Turn off location tagging in the camera app.
2. Location sharing: Decide deliberately who can see your child's location through Find My, Family Link or Snapchat's Snap Map. Family only is a good default.
3. Social profiles: Set accounts to private, limit who can message or comment, and remove personal details like school name, phone number and birthday from bios.
4. Photos: Talk about what's in the background of photos: house numbers, street signs, school uniforms.

Our guide on how to turn off location services has step-by-step instructions for iPhone.

5. Make a family plan, and keep talking

Technology settings protect against accidents. Conversations protect against the things settings miss.

• Write down your house rules. Where devices live at night, which apps are okay, what happens if a rule is broken. A family media agreement makes this easy.
• Agree on what to do when something goes wrong. A scary message, a request for a photo, a scam. Kids should know they can tell you without losing their device.
• Talk about scams and pressure. Explain that real companies, friends and even family members don't demand money, gift cards, or secrecy urgently online. If someone does, it's a red flag.
• Check in regularly. Ask what apps and games they're into, who they talk to, and what's funny or annoying online right now. Curiosity works better than interrogation.

A quick checklist

• Automatic updates on for every phone, tablet, computer and router
• Two-step verification or passkeys on email and key accounts
• Password manager in use
• Screen Time or Family Link set up for each child
• SafeSearch and age-appropriate YouTube settings on
• Location sharing reviewed and limited to family
• Social accounts private with personal details removed
• Family agreement written and posted somewhere visible
• A clear "tell me and you won't be in trouble" promise to your kids

Tick these off and your family is safer than most, and better prepared for whatever new app comes next.