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Online Health and Safety for Children and Youth: Best Practices for Families and Guidance for Industry

Building Healthy Relationships with Media: Essential Skills for Children 10 and Younger banner

Building Healthy Relationships with Media: Essential Skills for Children 10 and Younger

Children build media habits and preferences from a very young age. These practical strategies build balance, critical thinking, self-regulation, and safety skills for toddlers through elementary school-aged children.

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Conversation Starters for Families of Tweens and Teens

This resource provides ideas and examples parents and guardians can use to frame conversations with youth around common scenarios involving technology, social media, and video games.

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Social Media, Online Safety, and Youth Mental Health Fact Sheet

This fact sheet highlights best practices and resources for parents and caregivers for social media, online safety and youth mental health.

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Online Health and Safety Resources

The Task Force collected an extensive set of federal and non-federal best-practice resources for promoting the online health and safety of children and adolescents.

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New Resources for Families - Building Healthy Relationships with Media: Essential Skills for Children 10 and Younger & Conversation Starters for Families of Tweens and Teens

Post Copy - All Platforms: We talk to kids about street & swimming safety, but there are also safety rules for the digital world. Check out these new resources for information and educational resources that youth, parents, educators, and others who help youth can use to assist youth navigate social media. https://www.samhsa.gov/kids-online-health-safety-task-force/kohs-report-safe-internet-use

Post Copy - All Platforms: Wondering how to talk to your children or students about social media? The SAMHSA-funded Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health has resources that provide timely guidance for youth on how to use digital media and manage their presence online: https://www.samhsa.gov/kids-online-health-safety-task-force/kohs-report-safe-internet-use

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Post Copy - All Platforms: Young people are going to use social media and other online platforms. Check out these resources to encourage parents and caregivers to have open and collaborative communication about their child’s online use: https://www.samhsa.gov/kids-online-health-safety-task-force/kohs-report-safe-internet-use

Post Copy - All Platforms: Children build media habits and preferences from a very young age. It’s important that they know both the benefits and the risks of being online. Check out these new resources for strategies, recommendations, and best practices to help build balance, critical thinking, self-regulation, and safety skills for toddlers through elementary school-aged children: https://www.samhsa.gov/kids-online-health-safety-task-force/kohs-report-safe-internet-use

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Last Updated: 09/23/2025