For Parents, Teachers & Caregivers
This area contains guidance for adults, including serious online safety topics. Children can return to Officer Quackers' learning activities.
Grown-Up Safety Toolkit
Free tools for parents, teachers and caregivers. No accounts, ads, or commercial referrals.
I Clicked It — What Now?
What to do after clicking, sharing a password, paying, or allowing remote access.
Open tool →Scam Message Checker
Look for warning signs in a suspicious message.
Open tool →Family Device Checkup
Answer 12 questions and print a family safety plan.
Open tool →App Safety Guide
Safety discussions for five popular apps.
Open tool →Email & Link Checker
Check .eml files and links on your device.
Open tool →Printable Safety Handouts
Free PPF guides, family agreements, parent checklists, and teen help cards. Download and print.
View documents →These tools teach warning signs and cannot guarantee safety. Cloudflare processes technical website requests.
Spot the Scam
Try eight realistic scam situations and learn the safest response. No accounts or saved answers.
Keeping Kids Safe Online — A Grown-Up’s Guide
Practical steps for families and teachers. Choose a topic to expand it.
🚨 Something is happening right now
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. You can ask for help even if you are unsure which agency to contact.
| Situation | Contact |
|---|---|
| Child in immediate danger | Call 911 |
| Threats to share a child’s private images | NCMEC CyberTipline · 1-800-843-5678 |
| Report child exploitation to federal investigators | FBI Tips · 1-800-CALL-FBI |
| Intimate images taken before age 18 | Take It Down |
| Nonconsensual intimate images taken at age 18 or older | StopNCII |
| Platform did not comply with a valid removal request | FTC Take It Down complaints |
| Emotional crisis | Call or text 988; text HOME to 741741 |
| Suspected child abuse | Childhelp · 1-800-422-4453 |
| Teen dating abuse or controlling partner | love is respect · 1-866-331-9474 |
| Scams, fraud or identity theft | ReportFraud.ftc.gov |
| Internet crime | FBI IC3 |
| Scam support for older adults and families | AARP Fraud Watch · 877-908-3360 |
Lake County, Montana: Emergency 911; Lake County Dispatch non-emergency (406) 883-7301. Outside Lake County, use your local dispatch non-emergency line.
If your child tells you something happened
- Stay calm. Thank them for telling you. How you react now decides whether they come to you next time.
- Don't blame or punish. Kids who are threatened online are victims of a crime, not the cause of it.
- Don't pay and don't reply to anyone making threats.
- Save evidence before blocking. Screenshot messages, usernames, and profile links. Never screenshot, save, or forward a sexual image of a minor. Describe it to investigators instead.
- Report to the app, then to the CyberTipline or police.
- Check in again over the next days. Watch for withdrawal, sleep changes, or talk of hopelessness. Call or text 988 if you're worried.
Warning signs worth a calm conversation
- Suddenly secretive about a device, or hiding the screen when you walk in
- A new online "friend" you've never met, especially one who gives gifts, game currency, or lots of compliments
- Being asked to move a chat to a different or private app
- Upset, anxious, or withdrawn after being online
- Unexplained purchases, gift cards, or money requests
- Messages at unusual hours
- Deleting apps or chat history right before you look
One sign alone isn't proof of anything. Ask open questions: "Who do you like talking to online? Has anyone ever made you feel weird or pressured?"
Turn on parental controls
(free, built into the device)
Phones and tablets
- iPhone / iPad: Settings → Screen Time → turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions, set Communication Limits, and turn on Ask to Buy through Family Sharing.
- Android: install Google Family Link (families.google.com/familylink) to approve apps, set screen time, and see location.
- Windows / Xbox: Microsoft Family Safety app — screen time, content filters, and spending limits.
Game consoles
- Xbox: Xbox Family Settings app — who can message or join party chat.
- PlayStation: Settings → Family and Parental Controls — chat, spending, and age limits.
- Nintendo Switch: Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app — play time and who your child can talk to.
Popular apps — check the in-app settings
- Roblox: Parental Controls in account settings — turn off or limit chat, set a spending limit, add a parent PIN.
- YouTube: use YouTube Kids for young children, or a supervised account through Family Link.
- TikTok / Instagram / Snapchat: use the built-in Family Center or Family Pairing, set accounts to private, and turn off location sharing on maps.
- Discord: Family Center, plus safe direct-messaging settings.
Settings move between app updates. If a menu name doesn't match, search the app's help page for "parental controls."
Age-by-age basics
Ages 5–8
- Devices in shared rooms, never behind a closed door
- Use kid versions of apps (YouTube Kids, for example)
- Teach one rule: "If anything feels weird, show a grown-up."
- No chatting with people they don't know in real life
Ages 9–12
- Approve every new app together
- Chat limited to real-life friends
- Talk about why age limits exist (most social apps are 13+)
- Teach that online friends can lie about who they are
Ages 13–18
- Private accounts, location sharing off except with family
- Talk openly about image pressure, sextortion, and AI fakes, and that they will never be in trouble for asking for help
- Teach how to verify a call or message using a number they already know
- Discuss their digital footprint before college and job applications
All ages
- Phones charge outside the bedroom overnight
- Know their passwords for younger kids; respect growing privacy for teens while keeping the door open
- Set spending limits and require approval for purchases
Family tech agreement
(print and sign together)
- We keep devices in shared spaces at night.
- We don't share our full name, school, address, or location with people we haven't met in person.
- We ask before downloading apps or buying anything.
- We never send pictures to people we only know online.
- If something online makes us scared, sad, or confused, we tell a grown-up, and nobody gets in trouble for telling.
- Grown-ups agree to stay calm and help.
Family signatures: _________________________ Date: ____________
Learn more — trusted free resources
- NetSmartz (NCMEC) — videos, tip sheets, and presentations for families and schools · missingkids.org/netsmartz
- NCMEC Safety — missingkids.org/safety
- FBI: Sextortion — what parents and teens should know · fbi.gov/sextortion
- StopBullying.gov — how to respond to and report cyberbullying · stopbullying.gov
- Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces — specialized investigators in every state · icactaskforce.org
- Common Sense Media — age ratings and parent reviews of apps, games, and shows · commonsensemedia.org
- ConnectSafely — plain-language parent guides to popular apps · connectsafely.org
Talk to your school
- Ask what devices and apps your child uses at school, and what filtering is in place.
- Ask who to contact if something online involves classmates: usually a counselor or the school resource officer.
Last content review: October 25, 2026. Check resource links and contact numbers quarterly. This guide is educational and is not an emergency reporting service.
A free program of the Polson Police Foundation. No referral fees are received for these links. Questions: info@polsonpolicefoundation.com.
What's New Online — Parent Guide
AI chatbots, deepfakes, voice-clone scams, gaming chats, and social media pressure. Practical steps and conversation starters for families.
Why Online Safety Matters
See the facts about online threats, learn how the Polson Police Foundation helps children and families, and discover how to support our programs.
Learn more →