Raising Digitally Smart Kids In A Swipe-First World

From new devices under the tree to more time spent online over the holidays, families are navigating an increasingly complex digital landscape. New research shows Gen Z households are among the most impacted by online security and privacy issues—yet many parents haven’t started conversations around scams, safety, or smart device use. We sat down with Jennifer Flanagan, CEO and President of Actua, Canada’s largest STEM education network, to talk about building healthy digital boundaries, empowering kids to make informed choices online, and setting strong safety habits before they stick. —Noa Nichol

Bitwarden’s data shows Gen Z households face some of the highest rates of online security and privacy issues. From your perspective, what risks are most underestimated by parents right now?

The most underestimated threats are often the simplest ones. For example, weak or reused passwords. A single reused password can be like handing a cybercriminal a key that can unlock email, social media, gaming accounts and even financial information. This is one of the quickest ways accounts get compromised.

Another underestimated risk is deceptive friend requests and direct messages. Conversations and messages in apps like Instagram or Snapchat can feel personal and real to our kids, but some may be scams or fake profiles that use personal details to build trust. Youth need regular reminders that not everyone online is who they say they are and that it’s okay to question messages, even when they seem friendly.

Finally, there’s algorithmic influence, supercharged by AI. This risk feels passive, but it’s incredibly powerful. Algorithms quietly shape youths’ body image, opinions and self-worth by deciding what appears in their feed. I encourage parents and caregivers to talk with youth about how online content is curated and why they’re seeing what they see.

In all three examples, the biggest safety tip is to start a conversation with your child about cyber safety.

Nearly half of parents haven’t discussed scam awareness with their children. Why do these conversations so often get delayed—and what are the consequences when they don’t happen early enough?

These conversations can be delayed for a few reasons. Some parents assume that because their kids are tech-savvy, they’re also cyber-smart, but that’s not always true. Some parents may rely on cyber safety lessons being taught or discussed at school, which, unfortunately, may only happen once or not at all. Other parents may not fully understand the risks themselves, or they know the dangers but aren’t sure how to talk about it with their kids.

Parents and caregivers don’t need a perfect script. The most important thing is to start now and keep the conversation going. How you talk about cyber safety should change with your child’s age, but avoiding the topic altogether isn’t a safe option.

For parents looking for support, the Learning Hub at actua.ca offers practical tip sheets on topics like AI, social media and online exploitation to help families get started.

For families giving kids new devices this holiday season, what are the first three digital safety settings parents should activate before the device ever leaves the box?

This is a great question because setting up device-safety features provides a quick and relatively easy way to instantly increase the security of your child’s device. 

First, turn on content filtering and age restrictions. Use the device’s built-in parental controls to help reduce exposure to inappropriate or dangerous content and to limit screen time. This is not only a safety feature but also helps them develop healthy screen habits.

Second, turn off location sharing by default. Go into the main privacy settings and restrict location access for all apps, especially the camera and photo apps.

Third, enable “Ask to Buy” or purchase approvals. This requires parental permission for downloads and in-app purchases and immediately prevents unauthorized spending.

If parents aren’t sure how to set these up, a simple online search for the device and settings will provide step-by-step guidance.

How can parents strike a balance between protecting children online and avoiding overly restrictive controls that may undermine trust or digital confidence

This is certainly a concern that youth may raise with their parents, so transparency is key. Set expectations with your children up front and explain that the rules you are setting are about safety, not punishment.

Make it clear that controls can change over time, loosening as youth demonstrate responsibility and cyber safety awareness, or tightening if boundaries are crossed. Most importantly, establish a no-punishment promise. If your child comes to you with a mistake or something that scares them, commit to helping them without immediately taking the device away. That trust is one of the strongest safety tools a family can have.

Scams and phishing attempts are becoming increasingly sophisticated. What red flags should children be taught to recognize immediately, regardless of age?

It’s really valuable to teach youth emotional red flags, not just technical ones. Scammers often rely on urgency and pressure with messages like “Act now!” or “Your account will be frozen!” to short-circuit critical thinking.

A simple rule that works across all ages is to stop, pause and verify. Real people and real companies will wait.

Youth should also be taught to question anything that sounds too good to be true. Offers of free prizes, game currency, or rewards in exchange for clicking a link or sharing information are almost always scams.

It comes down to sharpening their critical thinking, solid judgment and questioning what they see and hear online.

Location sharing and tracking tools can increase safety, but they also raise privacy concerns. How can families use these features responsibly without normalizing constant surveillance?

This is an important balance to strike. Location sharing works best when it’s used intentionally in specific situations, such as walking home, traveling or coordinating a meetup and when it is used with specific, trusted adults or family members. Parents can also model healthy use by sharing their own location. This helps reinforce that location sharing is a mutual safety and connection tool, not a form of surveillance or control.

It’s also important for youth to understand the difference between private and public location sharing. Sharing a location with a trusted parent or sibling can be protective; sharing location data publicly through social media or geotagged posts can be risky. Public posts can reveal where they live, go to school, or spend time, and that information may be seen by strangers or misused by someone with harmful intent. Even posts shared “just with friends” can be screenshot, reshared or accessed later, turning a momentary update into a lasting safety risk.

Passwords remain one of the weakest links in family digital security. What practical steps can parents take to teach children strong password habits that actually stick?

There are many practical ways to build strong password habits. Here are three steps I recommend: 

• First, help your children create passwords that are long, unique and use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols – like $uperH#r0!.
• Second, consider using a family password manager. This can be a game-changer because it generates and stores strong, unique passwords for every account, so your children only have to remember one strong main password. It removes the temptation to reuse weak passwords. 
• Third, practice together. Don’t just explain, set up accounts and passwords side by side. Hands-on learning helps these habits stick.

With AI tools now widely accessible to kids and teens, what new safety and literacy challenges are emerging—and how should parents be addressing them today?

AI is literally everywhere now and its impact on the day-to-day lives of youth is growing. Because of AI, it’s getting harder to tell what’s real and what’s fake because it generates realistic deepfakes and highly convincing content that can be false or misleading. AI-driven algorithms can also reinforce echo chambers that limit exposure to different viewpoints or push content that may harm your child’s well-being.

The most effective response is to focus on critical thinking, not fear. Teach youth to question what they see, verify information with reliable sources and ask a trusted adult when they’re unsure.

Parents and caregivers don’t need to be AI experts either. Exploring AI tools together and asking simple questions like, “Why do you think it suggested that?” or “What data might this tool be collecting?”, “Is that real or fake and how can we be sure?”, helps build essential AI skills.

This is why human-centred AI literacy is so important. Youth in Canada need to understand what AI is, how it works, how it affects their lives, and how to use it safely and responsibly. And parents need these skills too. 

We have an excellent tipsheet on our website to guide parents on how to help their children navigate an AI-driven world.

What role do schools and STEM education organizations like Actua play in reinforcing online safety habits beyond the home?

Actua and our network members play a crucial role by reaching youth outside the classroom through fun, engaging camps, clubs and workshops that build comprehensive digital and AI skills. Together, we reach youth in every province and territory.

We engage youth in how to use technology effectively and safely through hands-on learning while building essential skills like critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity. We extend our reach by providing resources to educators and creating opportunities to support parents, ensuring that online safety and digital literacy are reinforced across the home, school and community.

If parents take away only one message about online safety this holiday season, what should it be—and why is this moment so critical for shaping long-term digital behaviour?

The most important safety feature on any new device is a non-judgmental, ongoing conversation with your children. The holiday season is critical because the way a device is set up and talked about shapes responsible habits from day one. It’s much easier to build secure routines and open communication at the start than to enforce rules later.

Apps and filters can help, but they can be bypassed. The most reliable, unhackable safety net is a young person who feels safe going to a parent or caregiver when something goes wrong or doesn’t feel right.

Parents can find practical, age-appropriate resources on the Learning Hub on actua.ca, including tip sheets on AI, social media and introducing new devices, among others, to help get these conversations going.