Teaching Kids About Passwords and Personal Information

Two ideas to teach

Most of what children need can be reduced to two ideas. First, a password is a private key to an account, and it should be hard for others to guess and never handed out. Second, some details about you are not for sharing with people you do not know in real life, because they can be used to find you, trick you or pretend to be you.

Both ideas can be taught early and refined with age. As with any safety advice, no habit makes an account completely safe, but good habits reduce the chances of problems considerably.

Passwords by age

Young children (about 4 to 7)

Many young children use shared family devices or accounts managed by an adult, so the lesson is conceptual.

Explain that a password is like a secret handshake or a key to a diary. Only trusted grown-ups should know it.
Let them practice with a game: make up a silly secret phrase and keep it secret.
Teach that friends do not need to be told passwords, even best friends, because friendships change.
If they use a tablet with a simple passcode, let them know that a parent can help if they forget.

Middle childhood (about 8 to 11)

Children begin to have their own accounts for games and learning platforms, though many services have minimum ages, so check the rules.

Teach what makes a password strong: length matters most, and a string of several unrelated words is both hard to guess and easier to remember than a jumble of symbols. Our guide on memorable passphrases explains the idea.
Show examples of weak passwords, such as names, birthdays, “password” or “123456,” and explain why people guess them first.
Explain that each account should have its own password. Using the same one everywhere is risky, because one leak can open many doors, which is the problem described in our article on password reuse.
Agree who holds a backup copy. Many families keep a record of children’s passwords in a secure place for emergencies, which is reasonable at this age.

Teens (about 12 and older)

By now teens are managing many accounts, and they are common targets for account takeovers, particularly gaming and social accounts.

Introduce a password manager. Having one tool remember everything makes unique passwords practical and removes the temptation to reuse.
Turn on two-factor authentication on email, social and gaming accounts. Explain that email is the most important, since it can reset other accounts.
Teach them never to enter a password after clicking a link in a message. Go to the site or app directly instead, because phishing emails and fake login pages are designed to look genuine.
Discuss why friends, boyfriends and girlfriends should not be given passwords, even as a sign of trust.
Mention account recovery options such as backup email and phone number, and that they should be kept up to date.

Personal information: what stays private

Younger children can learn a short list, and older ones can learn the reasoning. Information that should generally not be shared with people you only know online includes:

Full name, home address and phone number
School name, team or club details and daily routines
Passwords and one-time codes sent by text or app
Photos that show where you live or go to school
Financial details such as card numbers
Birthdate and national identification numbers
Real-time location

A handy family phrase for small children is: “If it tells someone who you are, where you are or how to get into your accounts, we keep it private.”

Explain the why

Older children benefit from knowing what could go wrong. Scraps of information can be put together to build a picture of a person, and this can enable stalking, impersonation, identity theft or targeted scams. A criminal who knows a child’s school and birthday can sound much more convincing when pretending to be a friend or official. You can describe this calmly without frightening them.

Everyday habits

Usernames without real names. Choose something fun and unrelated to name, age or location.
Think before posting. Ask, “Would I be okay with a stranger, or a future employer, seeing this?” Content can be copied and spread.
Check privacy settings. Profiles should be private or friends-only wherever possible. Look at settings together every few months, since apps change them.
Be wary of quizzes and forms. Online quizzes asking for a pet’s name, first school or mother’s maiden name are sometimes fishing for security-question answers.
Look at app permissions. Teach children that an app does not automatically deserve access to the camera, contacts, microphone or location. Our article on app permissions explains what to look for.
Be careful with free offers. Giveaways that ask for details may be scams or data collection.
Log out on shared devices. Especially at school, in libraries or on a friend’s computer.
Update the device. Keeping software current closes known security holes.

What to do if something is shared by mistake

Children should know that mistakes happen and that they should tell an adult rather than hide them. If a password has been shared or guessed, change it immediately and anywhere else it was used, then check for unfamiliar activity. If personal details were given to a stranger, save the conversation, block the person, and consider reporting to the platform. Where money or identity may be involved, contact the relevant provider. Reacting with calm, practical help encourages honesty next time.

For parents: set the example

Use a password manager and two-factor authentication yourself.
Be thoughtful about sharing photos of your children online, including identifying details such as school uniforms or locations.
Do not share your own passwords by text or email.
Talk about decisions out loud, such as “I’m not going to click this link, because I wasn’t expecting it.”

Keep it simple and revisit it

Teach a few rules well rather than many poorly, and revisit them as the child’s life online expands. A new account, a new app or a story in the news is a good prompt to refresh the conversation. Over time, children who understand the reasons behind the rules are much better placed to make sensible decisions when no adult is watching.