NJ is one of the best states for kids’ online safety

I couldn’t be more grateful that I came of age before social media was as prevalent as it is right now.

While I still experienced some of the mess that comes from being a young person on the internet, it’s mere child’s play compared to 2024.

Luckily for New Jersey parents, the Garden State is a pretty decent place for kids on the internet, according to a study performed by Cloudwards.

The analysis was done by looking at four groups of factors:

🔴 Online Safety Crimes & Threats
🔴 Cyberbullying Prevalence
🔴 Cyberbullying and Online Safety Laws
🔴 Mental Health Support

How safe are kids in New Jersey on the internet?

The good ol’ Garden State ranks as the third safest U.S. state for children's online presence.

We received perfect online safety legislation scores and solid mental health support marks.

That said, our overall ranking was impacted by online safety threats, where we placed 33rd (with a lower rank indicating more cybercrime complaints received by the FBI), as well as a moderate showing in cyberbullying prevalence: we ranked 22nd nationally.

These are five tips Cloudwards provides for parents:

Be careful about the information you share

Never post details like your address, school, phone number or date of birth anywhere online. The same goes for photos that may reveal details about you, like a photo of a certificate with your full name or your school’s name. Setting your social media profiles to “private” can help you stay safe.

Never meet up with people you meet online

If someone asks you to meet them in real life, let a parent or guardian know right away.

Don’t open links you receive via email or private messaging

These could be from people trying to get your personal information.

Use strong passwords and never share them with anyone

Parents and guardians can increase security by making sure antivirus software, password managers and multi-factor authentication are up and running.

Regularly communicate with your child about the importance of online safety.

Let your child know that they can always talk to you if they have any questions or feel uncomfortable about something online.

You can read Cloudwards’ full study here.

I think one thing that is undeniable is that the internet is to blame for some of the stupidest acts that younger people perform, here is just a handful of what has happened in recent years:

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.
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