Guides and Quick-Guides
We’ll start with our Quick-Guides but please scroll down for our full-length parent and educator guides
Printable Quick Guides
Short, clearly written guides for you to read and print. If you share in bulk, please let us know. We recommend double-sided printing (in color, if possible) on 24 lb. paper or higher.
Click here for Quick-Guides in Spanish (Haga clic aquí para obtener guías rápidas en español)
Safety & Wellness
Media Literacy
Security
Parent and Teen Guide to Generative AI
What is Generative AI? Generative AI (GAI) is a branch of artificial intelligence that automates original content generation. It can write essays, poems, song lyrics, articles and scripts. It can draw images and cartoons, create videos, answer questions, write...
Parent’s Guide to Uber Teen Accounts
As teens mature, parents look for ways to strike a balance between independence and safety. Transportation is one of the biggest challenges: how do you give your teen the freedom to get to school activities, jobs, or friends’ houses without always being in the...
Digital Communication and Young People on the Autism Spectrum
By Ted Selker, PhD, and Ellen Shay Reviewed by Meril Platzer, MD, a board-certified neurologist, and Sadie M. Randle, Ed.D, an autism and neurodiversity researcher and educator. Online communication can be an empowering tool for children and teens on the autism...
Guide to Taking Control of Your Instagram Feed
By Hina Talib, MD and Larry Magid, Ed.D. Instagram’s algorithm, which ranks and recommends posts based on your past activity, tries to show you what it thinks you’ll like—but sometimes it misses the mark. If your feed feels overwhelming, repetitive or just not “you,”...
Parent’s Guide to Social Media and Digital Wellness
By Hina Talib, MD and Larry Magid, Ed.D. Social media is where teens connect, create, and express themselves—but it’s also a space filled with challenges, from online drama to digital comparison traps. As parents, our concerns about social media are valid—we all want...
Parent’s Guide to TikTok
TikTok-ConnectSafely Family Survey TikTok is one of the most popular platforms for watching and creating short videos. Although you can view TikTok content via its website, downloading the mobile app is the best way to explore features and learn how it works....
Parent’s Guide to Instagram
Social media is a significant part of many teens’ lives, and Instagram is one of the most popular platforms they use to share photos, videos and messages. With features like Stories, Feed, Reels, Live and messaging, Instagram allows teens to celebrate milestones, stay...
Parent’s Guide to Snapchat
Download Free Guide (PDF) Snapchat is all about fun and spontaneity. By default, the text, photos and videos you share delete automatically after being viewed by the recipient. Users love that they can share a moment that’s digital footprint-free — they don’t have...
Parent’s Guide to Roblox
View Quick Guide (PDF) If your kids love to play video games, one of the names you may be hearing about is Roblox. Launched in 2006, Roblox’s popularity among kids has exploded, and it is now one of the top entertainment platforms for kids and teens. But Roblox isn’t...
Parent’s Guide to Discord
Discord is a popular communication app that debuted in 2015 and quickly gained a following among people looking to communicate while playing video games. The service supports voice, video and text chat and has over 200 million monthly active users. How it works...
Parent and Guardian Guide to Meta Horizon Worlds
Meta Horizon Worlds is now available for teens ages 13 to 17 and children ages 10 to 12 (age may vary by region) with a parent-managed Meta account. Created by Meta (formerly Facebook) for Meta Quest mixed reality headsets, mobile devices and web browsers, Meta...
Parent’s Guide to Parent-Managed Meta Accounts
Meta Quest headsets have long been available for adults and teens. Thanks to the introduction of parent-managed Meta accounts, preteens aged 10-12 (age may vary by region) can also enjoy next-generation experiences on Meta Quest. A parent-managed Meta account for...
Parent’s Quick-Guide to Tech for Tots
Download Quick-Guide (PDF) Why did ConnectSafely publish this guide? Sixty-one percent of parents say that parenting is more difficult than it was 20 years ago, with many citing technology as the reason why, according to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey. Teaching...
Guide to Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
Meta and Ray-Ban have released the second generation of smart glasses. The first was called “Ray-Ban Stories.” The new version, introduced in late 2023, is Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. Both versions have a camera that can take both still and video pictures. The new...
Family Guide to Parental Controls
What are parental controls and what do they do? There are a variety of control tools and monitoring tools available to parents. Some are software products or mobile apps that you buy or subscribe to. Others are free, and some are already present on your phone,...
Parent’s Guide to ZEPETO
Download the Quick-Guide (PDF) What is ZEPETO? ZEPETO is a mobile and web app that allows people ages 13 and older to create and customize virtual avatars with various features, clothes, hairstyles, and accessories and interact with others in virtual worlds. ZEPETO is...
Parent’s Guide to Google Search
Note: This guide applies only to Google Search and not other search tools. If you or your children are using other sites, please familiarize yourselves with their settings and safety features. Download the Guide (PDF) How Google Search works While performing a basic...
Parent’s Guide to Twitch
Download the Guide (PDF) Live streaming service Twitch continues to defy the short-form video trend that’s popular among teens. Twitch’s interactive streams, which feature everything from live video gaming, music performances and makeup tutorials to “just chatting,”...
Parent’s Guide to Meta Quest Pro
Download guide (PDF) We hear a lot about virtual reality and the “metaverse,” and we’re seeing Meta and other tech companies launch new devices that give people access to more immersive experiences. These virtual experiences will ultimately evolve into the metaverse,...
Parent’s Guide to Teen Sextortion Scams
Download the Guide (PDF) The FBI has reported a “huge increase” in sextortion scams targeting teens, especially boys 14 to 17. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, 5% of teens have been the target of sextortion, and only one-third told their parents. The...
Parent, Educator & Youth Guide to LGBTQ Cyberbullying
By Warren J. Blumenfeld, Ed.D. Download Free Guide (PDF) All young people deserve to grow up in a world where they are accepted, loved and treated with compassion, but sadly, that’s not the case for everyone. Some young people are vulnerable to bullying,...
Parent’s and Educator’s Guide to Combatting Hate Speech
By Brittan Heller, JD and Larry Magid, Ed.D. Download Free Guide (PDF) Download Free Quick Guide (PDF) The internet is making it possible for people around the world to communicate with lightning speed and, for the most part, it’s a good thing. Whether it’s keeping up...
The Educator’s Guide to Creativity & Copyright
By Kerry Gallagher, J.D., Larry Magid, Ed.D. and David Sohn, J.D. Download Printer friendly Guide (PDF) Quick-Guide for Students & Teachers (PDF) Whether they’re working in class or at home, students are accessing, viewing, creating, and sharing media as part...
Parent’s Guide to Education Technology
By Kerry Gallagher, J.D., and Larry Magid, Ed.D. Download Guide (PDF) We all know children use devices like smartphones, tablets, Chromebooks, and laptops at school and they also often use a vocabulary full of technology jargon that may seem completely foreign....
Educator’s Guide to Social Media
Download Guide (PDF) Social media has become ubiquitous. About three-quarters of online American adults use some form of social media, according to Pew Research. Among young adults and teens, the numbers are even higher. Without a doubt, the vast majority of your...
The Educator’s Guide to Student Data Privacy
DownloadFull Guide (PDF) Technology tools and apps are making it possible for educators and students to collaborate, create, and share ideas more easily than ever. When schools use technology, students’ data—including some personal information—is collected both by...
Guide to Uber Senior Accounts
While many older adults are comfortable using the standard Uber app to arrange their own rides, some need a bit of help, perhaps from a relative or caregiver. For those who do, Uber now offers Senior Accounts and a simpler app experience, including larger text and...
The Senior’s Guide to Online Safety
Full Guide/Download PDF One Page Quick Guide Senior Safety Slide show Most American seniors are now online. As of 2018, nearly 66% of Americans over 65 were Internet users, according to a Pew Research Center survey.That number is getting bigger all the time, and for...
Senior’s Guide to TikTok
Download Free Guide (PDF) If you have teenage children or grandchildren, there’s a good chance they use TikTok. But so do tens of millions of adults. Only about a third of TikTok users are under 20, according to a June 2020 Statistica Report. Just under 14% are...