EFF Publishes Privacy Handbook for Families Navigating Digital Life

The Electronic Frontier Foundation unveiled "Online Privacy for Parents and Youth," a resource aimed at equipping households with strategies to safeguard their digital presence. According to Babette Ngene, EFF's Public Interest Technology Director, "Parents don't need to be technology experts to help their children navigate the digital world safely."

At EFF, we believe in empowering families with the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions about their digital lives. It's about meeting families where they are and giving parents the guidance they need to have meaningful conversations with their children about digital safety, based on what works best for their families.

Babette Ngene, EFF Public Interest Technology Director

The organization released this guide as lawmakers at state and local levels contemplate legislation intended to restrict young people's internet access. EFF contends such measures, though well-intentioned, risk isolating vulnerable youth and marginalized communities who depend on online spaces for support unavailable offline. The organization also warns that age-verification requirements compromise privacy across the internet and limit young users' capacity to learn, express themselves, and develop.

Deciding how to help your young people use the internet—including engaging with video games, social media, web search, and everything else—is a complicated topic that touches on many different skillsets and ideas. But ultimately it's up to families – not governments – to decide when and how to engage with these sorts of questions.

Thorin Klosowski, EFF Senior Security and Privacy Activist

The guide recognizes that each young person's requirements differ and shift over time. Parents can engage in deliberate planning to identify solutions tailored to their circumstances that adapt as their children mature.

EFF's resource assists parents in examining their concerns and recognizing potential hazards—such as deceptive AI chatbots or disclosure of personal details to unknown contacts—then outlines actions families can implement to reduce these dangers while preserving access to games, learning tools, and communication services that support development.

The guide assembles references to parental control configuration guides for numerous mainstream devices and services, alongside practical recommendations for straightforward steps parents can take to strengthen their children's online privacy.