How to Protect Children from Online Scams
One in three children experienced a cyber threat in 2025, according to a study by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Children ages 8-12 are the fastest-growing demographic for fraud victims, with losses increasing 300% since 2022. The shift to remote learning, social gaming, and social media at younger ages has created an environment where kids interact with strangers and scammers daily — often without any adult awareness.
This isn't about locking kids off the internet. It's about age-appropriate education and practical controls that protect them while preserving trust.
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Understanding What Kids Face Online
Children encounter different threats depending on their age and the platforms they use:
Ages 6-9: Primarily at risk through gaming platforms (Roblox, Minecraft) and YouTube. Threats include fake game hack websites, malicious ads disguised as download buttons, and inappropriate content delivered through seemingly child-friendly channels.
Ages 10-13: Begin using social media (often before the minimum age of 13). Risks expand to include catfishing, phishing via DMs, peer pressure to share personal information, cyberbullying, and early exposure to scam tactics through gaming trades and digital marketplaces.
Ages 14-17: Active on social media, may have first jobs and bank accounts. Vulnerable to job scams, romance scams, sextortion, cryptocurrency fraud, shopping scams, and identity theft. Their desire for independence often conflicts with accepting parental oversight.
The Scams That Target Kids Specifically
Free V-Bucks/Robux generators: The most widespread scam targeting children. Fake websites promise free in-game currency in exchange for "surveys" that harvest personal data. See our detailed guides on Roblox scams and Fortnite scams.
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Social media giveaway scams: Fake celebrity or influencer accounts promising prizes to followers who share personal information, download apps, or click links.
Quiz and personality test scams: "What Hogwarts House Are You?" quizzes that collect personal data, install tracking cookies, or lead to phishing sites.
Online predator grooming: Adults who build relationships with children through games, social media, or chat platforms, often starting with gifts of in-game items or digital currency.
Sextortion: Increasingly targeting teens (especially boys aged 14-17) through social media and gaming platforms. A scammer poses as an attractive peer, obtains intimate images, then threatens to share them unless the victim pays.
Age-Appropriate Protection Strategies
For children 6-9:
- Use devices in common areas where you can casually observe activity
- Enable parental controls on all devices and platforms
- Set up YouTube Kids instead of regular YouTube
- Use child accounts with restricted app store access (so they can't download unauthorized apps)
- Teach the basic rule: "Never click links or download anything without asking a parent"
- Don't store payment information on any device they use
For children 10-13:
- Have explicit conversations about what personal information should never be shared online
- Teach them what phishing looks like using real examples
- Establish rules about who they can communicate with online
- Review their friends lists and followers periodically (with their knowledge)
- Set up family sharing so app downloads require your approval
- Explain that "free" offers for in-game currency are always scams
For teens 14-17:
- Shift from controls to education — teach critical thinking about online interactions
- Discuss sextortion openly and reassure them they can come to you without punishment
- Help them set up strong passwords and 2FA on their accounts
- Review together how to identify fake websites and phishing messages
- Discuss job scam warning signs as they enter the workforce
- Make them aware of the permanence of online information
IsThisAScam's 6-layer detection provides an easy tool for families — children and parents can paste any suspicious message or link to get an immediate safety assessment, making it a practical teaching aid for developing digital literacy.
Technical Controls Worth Setting Up
Router-level filtering: Services like CleanBrowsing or OpenDNS Family Shield filter content at the network level, protecting all devices on your home WiFi. Set these as your router's DNS servers.
Device parental controls:
- Apple: Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions
- Android: Google Family Link app
- Windows: Microsoft Family Safety
- Gaming consoles: Each has built-in parental controls (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo all have family settings)
Platform-specific settings:
- Roblox: Enable Account Restrictions and set a parent PIN
- YouTube: Use Restricted Mode and/or YouTube Kids
- Instagram/TikTok: Set accounts to private, restrict DMs to followers only
- Fortnite: Use Epic Games' parental controls for chat and spending limits
Conversations That Make a Difference
Technical controls fail when children use devices outside your network or find workarounds. The most effective long-term protection is building your child's judgment through conversation.
Key messages to communicate:
- "If something feels wrong online, tell me. You won't be in trouble."
- "If someone online asks you to keep a secret from your parents, that's a red flag."
- "People online can pretend to be anyone. Someone who says they're 12 might not be."
- "Nothing online is truly free. If something offers free [game currency], it's trying to take something from you."
- "It's okay to block someone, leave a conversation, or close a website. You don't owe strangers online anything."
For more on online security, see our guides on social media privacy settings and identity theft prevention.
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