Online Safety Tips for Parents

You don't need to be an ethical hacker to keep your kids safer online. The practical lessons from Ryan Montgomery's advocacy, distilled.

Know what they play

Roblox, Minecraft, Discord, and similar platforms all have chat, friend requests, and private messaging. If your child uses them, you should know how each one's chat works — predators exploit the features parents never look at.

Lock down the settings

• Enable parental controls on every platform and device.
• Restrict friend requests and DMs to known contacts only.
• Turn off location sharing and public profile visibility.
• Use a family account structure where available so you get activity reports.

Talk about grooming

Kids should know the playbook: strangers offering gifts or game currency, requests to move conversations to private apps, secrecy ("don't tell your parents"), flattery and "special" attention. A child who recognizes the pattern is far harder to trap.

Treat online strangers like real-world ones

An online "friend" your child has never met is a stranger. Same rules as the park: don't share personal details, don't meet up, tell a parent about anything uncomfortable.

If something happens

Save evidence (screenshots, usernames), report through the platform, and contact local law enforcement. Organizations like the Sentinel Foundation exist precisely for this fight.

Background: who Ryan Montgomery is and his predator-exposure work.