Free Course · 8 Modules · ~4 hours total

Everything Caribbean parents need to protect their children online — built specifically for our culture, our devices, and our families. No jargon. No judgment. Just practical knowledge you can use this week.

What You’ll Learn

• How to assess your child’s current digital risk in under 30 minutes
• The exact privacy settings to change on every major platform
• How to have the “digital talk” without your child shutting down
• What online predators actually look like (hint: it’s not what you imagine)
• How to handle cyberbullying when it happens
• Building healthy screen habits that last

Module 1: The Digital World Your Child Lives In

Estimated time: 25 minutes

You cannot protect your child from dangers you don’t understand. This module gives you a clear picture of the online landscape Caribbean children are actually navigating — not the sanitised version, the real one.

By age 10, the average Jamaican child has access to a smartphone. By 13, they have active accounts on at least two social media platforms. By 16, they’ve been exposed to graphic content, experienced some form of online conflict, and likely know someone who has been cyberbullied.

The Platforms to Know

1. TikTok — Short videos, algorithm-driven, highly addictive. Most popular with ages 10+.
2. Instagram — Photos, Reels, DMs. Heavy social comparison culture. Popular with ages 12+.
3. WhatsApp — The primary messaging app across the Caribbean. Groups are a major risk vector.
4. Snapchat — Disappearing messages. Appeals to children who want privacy from parents. Ages 13+.
5. YouTube — The default video platform. Content ranges from educational to extremely harmful.

Module 1 Action Step: Ask your child to show you their phone for 10 minutes this week. Don’t judge, don’t react — just look at what apps are installed and which ones they use most.

Module 2: The Family Digital Audit

Estimated time: 30 minutes

Before setting rules, you need to understand your current situation. A family digital audit takes about 30 minutes and gives you the information you need to make good decisions.

The Audit Questions

For each device in your home, answer: Who uses this device, and how often? What apps are installed? Are parental controls active? Does anyone have their location shared, and with whom? What content has been watched or downloaded recently?

Module 2 Action Step: Complete the Family Digital Audit this week. Schedule a family conversation to share what you found — framed as “I want us to understand this together,” not “I caught you.”

Module 3: Privacy Settings — The Practical Guide

Estimated time: 45 minutes

iPhone / iOS Settings

1. Settings → Screen Time → enable and set a passcode your child doesn’t know
2. Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → enable
3. Settings → Privacy → Location Services → set each app to “While Using” or “Never”
4. Settings → Screen Time → Downtime → schedule no-phone hours

Android / Google Family Link

1. Download Google Family Link on your phone and your child’s phone
2. Link accounts and set yourself as the parent
3. Enable app approval — no app installs without your permission
4. Set daily screen time limits and enable SafeSearch

TikTok Safety

1. Profile → Settings → Privacy → Private Account: ON
2. Settings → Privacy → Direct Messages → Friends: OFF for under-16s
3. Settings → Digital Wellbeing → Restricted Mode: ON

Module 3 Action Step: Sit down with your child and go through one platform’s settings together this week. Make it a team effort, not a punishment.

Module 4: Online Predators — The Real Picture

Estimated time: 25 minutes

Most online abuse of children is perpetrated by someone the child already knows — a peer, an older student, sometimes an adult known to the family. Understanding how grooming actually works is the most important protection you can have.

How Online Grooming Works

1. Target — The abuser finds a child who seems lonely, troubled, or seeking attention
2. Build trust — Weeks or months of friendly conversation, gifts, flattery
3. Fill a need — Become the person the child turns to with problems
4. Isolate — Pull the child away from parents and other trusted adults
5. Escalate — Requests for photos, meetings, or more serious violations

Warning signs: Secretive about online contacts, new gifts with no explanation, anxiety when they can’t access their device, using device late at night.

Module 4 Action Step: Have a calm conversation: “Have you ever talked to anyone online who made you feel uncomfortable? I won’t be upset — I just want to know so I can help.” Then listen without reacting.

Module 5: Cyberbullying — Prevention and Response

Estimated time: 30 minutes

Island communities are tight. When your child is humiliated online, they can’t escape it at school, at church, at the shop. The social consequences of cyberbullying in small Caribbean communities are often more severe than in large cities.

If Your Child Is Being Bullied Online

1. Stay calm and make them feel safe to talk to you
2. Screenshot everything before taking any action
3. Block the bully on the relevant platform
4. Report to the platform
5. If schoolmates are involved, involve the school
6. If serious threats are made, contact the police

Module 5 Action Step: Ask your child: “If someone was being mean to you online, would you tell me?” Their answer will guide your next conversation.

Module 6: Screen Time and Healthy Habits

Estimated time: 20 minutes

The question isn’t “how many hours on screens?” — it’s “what is screen time replacing, and is that a problem?” These four rules apply to every family:

1. No devices in the bedroom at night — Phones charge in a communal space
2. No screens during meals — Protect family mealtime
3. Devices off one hour before bed — Blue light disrupts sleep
4. Physical activity every day — Even 30 minutes is protective

Module 6 Action Step: Choose one of the four rules and implement it this week. Just one. Once it becomes normal, add another.

Module 7: Having the Conversation

Estimated time: 20 minutes

We didn’t have these conversations with our parents because these issues didn’t exist. We don’t have scripts for them. Here are conversation starters that actually work:

• “I saw something online this week that made me uncomfortable. Have you ever seen anything like that?”
• “If someone you didn’t know messaged you online, what would you do?”
• “Has anyone ever been mean to you or someone you know online?”
• “If something felt wrong online, would you feel comfortable telling me?”

Module 7 Action Step: Use one of these conversation starters this week. Pick a relaxed moment — try the car or a walk.

Module 8: Your Family Digital Safety Plan

Estimated time: 25 minutes

A complete Family Digital Safety Plan has four components:

1. Device Rules — Document specific rules for each device
2. Privacy Settings — List every platform and confirm settings quarterly
3. Emergency Protocol — Agree in advance: come to me first, screenshot before deleting, no punishment for telling the truth
4. Monthly Review — 15-minute check-in to review apps, settings, and how things are going

Congratulations — You Completed Digital Parenting 101

You now have more digital safety knowledge than 90% of Caribbean parents. The most important thing is to start. Pick one thing from this course and do it today.

Ready to go deeper? Explore our Resources library, take a next course, or book a session with us.