Safer Internet For Kids

After reading about a young man who had to battle with identity theft from the young age of 17 (he’s 22 now), I had a duh! moment. We’re often so concerned and worried about identity theft for adults in the family but never occured to me the same precautions should be taken for our children’s identity too.

Unfortunately, child identity theft is real (see, not everything is my paranoid behavior taking over). Children have lost their identities usually to a so called parent or guardian. Most happen offline, but the way our kids are growing up so ‘wired’ guess this is another thing on the long list of things to educate them about. Any suggestions what nuggets of wisdom you’d pass on to your kids?

My first inclination was to sit with them and create a fun make belief identity both parent and child agree is the only one they are allowed to use online but I dunno. Somehow it seems a bit ‘deceitful’ like I’m teaching them how to lie. Still brainstorming for a creative solution.