Teaching Kids About Privacy: A Fun Halloween Activity for Families

When it comes to online safety, privacy settings are one of the most powerful yet overlooked tools we have. For kids especially, learning how to manage privacy settings early builds lifelong digital safety habits.

The challenge? Privacy often feels abstract and hard to explain. That’s why turning it into a hands-on activity can make all the difference.

Privacy is Like an Invisible Cloak

Just like a Halloween costume can disguise your identity, privacy settings act as an invisible cloak online. They help protect personal information from strangers, advertisers, and even hackers.

By adjusting privacy settings in apps and games, children can control:

• Who can see their profile

• What personal details are shared

• Who can contact them

• How much data is collected in the background

The Privacy Poem Activity

Here’s a simple family exercise that blends creativity with cybersecurity:

1. Choose an app or game your child uses.
   Together, Google “privacy settings for [app/game]” to see what options exist.

2. Review the settings as a team.
   Show your child how to toggle privacy controls, and explain why these settings matter.

3. Write a Privacy Poem.
   Using the word “PRIVACY” as an acrostic, have your child write what privacy means to them. For example:

   • Protecting my information

   • Remembering not to overshare

   • In control of who sees my posts

   • Valuing my personal space

   • Always checking my settings

   • Choosing what to share wisely

   • You can only see what I allow

This activity helps children not only understand privacy, but also articulate it in their own words.

Why This Matters

Teaching kids to recognize and adjust privacy settings empowers them to take ownership of their digital world. Instead of simply telling them to “be careful online,” you’re giving them practical tools and helping them understand why it matters.

As parents, the goal is not just to supervise our children’s online activity, but to raise confident digital citizens who can navigate the internet safely and responsibly.