Digital Literacy: How to Talk to Children About Cybersecurity
Teaching children how to behave safely online became one of the most important cybersecurity topics of 2025, and experts expect the focus on digital literacy for minors to intensify further in 2026.
Screen Time Under Supervision
According to a joint study by Avito and telecom operator MTS, children spend an average of three hours a day on online platforms. Video hosting services account for 40% of that time, followed by messengers at 28%, gaming platforms and online games at 26%, and social networks and short-video services at 25%. Online cinemas are less popular at 13%, marketplaces and classified services at 10%, and music streaming services at just 4%.
About 72% of Russian parents say they talk to their children about safe behavior on online platforms. Of them, 64% begin this education when a child receives their first smartphone, 27% start even earlier, and only 5% wait until the child has already had a negative online experience.
Overall, parents demonstrate a responsible approach to managing screen time. Around 28% control it directly, 22% teach children self-regulation, and 19% use parental control services. Only 10% of parents impose no limits at all.
A Direct Dialogue With Children
On average, parents consider around age 11 to be appropriate for children to begin actively using digital platforms. A clear pattern emerges: the older the parents, the later they believe children should start such active engagement with digital technologies.
Among the most common recommendations parents give are strict rules against sharing personal data, including passport details, banking information, passwords, and phone numbers, as well as warnings against clicking suspicious links. Parents also advise children never to grant access to their accounts or agree to switch messengers when making online transactions.
Modernizing the School Curriculum
Starting in 2025, schools in several Russian regions introduced a new course titled Digital Literacy and Media Safety. The initiative aims to equip students with safe online behavior skills, an understanding of how algorithms, advertising, and social networks function, and the ability to recognize fake content and disinformation.
The course also provides basic cybersecurity knowledge, introduces artificial intelligence technologies, and promotes principles of digital etiquette and personal responsibility. Instruction is delivered in an interactive format, using games and practical tasks. Younger students work with interactive stories and comics, while older students try themselves in the roles of journalists, developers, or analysts. In 2026, the program is expected to expand to additional regions.
To further strengthen personal data protection, specialized lessons, meetings with law enforcement officers and banking professionals, and nationwide initiatives such as the Safe Internet online olympiad are being held. In 2025, its program was expanded to include sections on neural networks and quantum technologies.
Parents as Guides
Modern children begin actively exploring the digital world as early as ages five or six, which has become a natural part of development. Rather than isolating children from the internet, experts stress the importance of parents becoming reliable guides. This requires adults themselves to improve their digital literacy and understand how online technologies work.
An effective safety strategy relies on open and honest dialogue. Parents are encouraged to discuss real online risks, explain why personal data should never be shared with strangers, how manipulation attempts can be recognized, and why any suspicion should immediately be reported. As digital threats continue to grow, one basic principle remains constant: being informed is the first line of defense.
