Cybersecurity Awareness Program Parent and Educator Resources

When your child wants to go over to a new friend’s house, you probably ask questions. Who else is going? Will the parents be home? We should be having the same discussion with our kids about their Internet use. Which websites are okay to visit? What kind of information is acceptable—and more importantly, what is not—to share online? Below, find resources and materials to help you start the discussion with your kids or students.

General Education Resources

• Learn how to avoid scams, protect your identity, and secure your computer with tips from the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) OnGuard Online and visit their Protect Kids Online webpage.
• Get videos, presentations, and other educational resources for educators and parents to discuss cybersecurity with kids and teens from NetSmartz, a program of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
• Find tips and resources on how to become a good digital parent from the Family Online Safety Institute.
• Start an internet safety dialogue with ebooks, events, articles, and more from ConnectSafely, iKeepSafe, and Savvy Cyber Kids.
• Protect yourself and your family from online fraud with tips from Fraud.org, a project of the National Consumers League.

School Resources

• Integrate cyber education into your home or classroom through the Cyber Security Awareness Volunteer Education (C-SAVE) program’s scenario-based curriculum for K-12 students.
• Request an Internet safety presentation for your school or community through Project iGuardian, an effort between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) directorate, NCMEC, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Safeguarding Your Devices and Reporting Resources

• Protect yourself, your family, and your devices with tips and resources from the National Cyber Security Alliance.
• Follow ten simple, customized steps from the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Smartphone Security Checker to secure your mobile phone.
• File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center or your State Attorney General's Office if you or members of your family have been victims of online crime.
• Report information regarding possible sexual exploitation of children through the NCMEC CyberTipline or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Resource Materials