A child's phone can be both a lifeline and a risk. Set it up for safety without breaking trust.

Information reviewed September 2026. Platforms, reporting tools, school policy and online-harm tactics can change quickly, so use the linked PEI or Canadian source when current steps matter.

Start with the child's actual online life.

Ask which apps, games and people matter to them, who they already talk with, whether a parent or sibling uses a particular platform, and whether there are existing accounts you need to secure. A device arriving in your home may already contain important relationships and risks.

Set up the account before setting dozens of rules.

• Update recovery email and phone information.
• Turn on two-factor authentication where available.
• Review privacy and location-sharing settings together.
• Check whether accounts are public or private.
• Review unknown followers or contacts without assuming every unfamiliar name is dangerous.
• Make sure the child knows how to block and report on the apps they actually use.

Use rules about contact, content and conduct.

MediaSmarts' Canadian research found that household online rules commonly focus on who youth contact, what content or information they share, and how they behave online. Rules work better when the child understands the reason and has a say in how the rule is carried out.

MediaSmarts: Young Canadians in a Wireless World, Life Online

Explain monitoring instead of secretly surveilling.

MediaSmarts has repeatedly found that heavy surveillance can undermine trust and make youth less likely to turn to adults when something goes wrong online. A caregiver may still need stronger supervision when there is a specific safety concern, but tell the child what you are checking and why whenever that is safe to do.

Do not make asking for help automatically mean losing the phone.

If the child believes that reporting a mistake, sexual message, bullying incident or uncomfortable contact will result in immediate confiscation, they may try to manage the problem alone. Public Safety Canada advises caregivers to create conversations where young people know they can ask for help without being punished for speaking up.

Public Safety Canada: Online safety discussion guide

Parent contact may need separate rules.

If the child's parent contact is supervised, restricted or part of a Child Protection or court plan, do not let the phone accidentally override those conditions. Clarify what contact is allowed, what should happen with late-night messages, location sharing and requests to keep conversations secret from the caregiver.

Teach the child what should trigger immediate help.

• Someone asking for nude or sexual images.
• Someone asking them to move a conversation to a more private app.
• Threats to share an image, expose a secret or hurt someone.
• Requests for money, gift cards or e-transfers after a sexual conversation.
• An adult or older person asking them to keep the relationship secret.
• A peer sharing an intimate image of someone without consent.