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How to protect the identities of children online

From September 2024 – 2025, the Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated 4.2 million fraud incidents. Another survey found that 29% of young people aged 13-21 in England and Wales have been victims of fraud. With identity theft against children and young people so prevalent, we must take measures to protect them online.

An abundance of personal information about most of us is readily available online with a few clicks. From posting on our own social media accounts to commenting on a viral TikTok, it’s easy to forget that information found in these updates could be misused – both by strangers and by people we trust. Many people don’t realise that they could also be putting their children at risk of identity theft.

Research by Barclays suggests that by 2030, information shared by parents online will lead to two-thirds of the identity theft committed against young people.

With so much data available online and offline, safeguarding the personal data of children is more important than ever.

How are data thieves gathering personal information about children?

A common way that thieves gather information about children is through social media – specifically through ‘sharenting’. Sharenting is where parents share videos, images, and news about their children on social media, often excessively and without regard to personal information.

Think for a moment about the information that you, or someone you know, might share about their child online:

  • The day they were born
  • Where they were born
  • Their full name
  • The name of their first pet
  • Photographs of children in their school uniforms
  • If your social media followers know you, they’re also likely to know your child’s mother’s maiden name – something that’s often used in ‘secret questions’ to gain access to online accounts.

All of the above information can be used to commit identity theft. The severity of the crime could be anything from taking out bills in a child’s name to utilise their ‘clean’ credit score, to creating fake passports, and even gaining direct access to a child’s online accounts as they grow up and start using the internet themselves. Unfortunately, children can be prime targets for fraudsters because any credit impacts are likely to go unnoticed until much later in life.

There are other ways that identity thieves can gather information about children, too. For instance, they could coerce information from children directly. This behaviour could occur online or in person, using information you’ve shared online to earn your child’s trust. They could also attempt to access records that have not been properly disposed of. This can happen at home, at educational establishments, and everywhere in between.

So, what can be done to protect children’s identities online, at home, and in the classroom?

Be mindful of the information you share about your own and other people’s children

In the UK alone, there are over 50 million social media users – more than 70% of the population. Social media is a great tool for connecting with others. However, with so much personal information so readily available, it’s also a goldmine for identity thieves and scammers.

When using social media, the best way to protect yourself and young people in your life is by setting your profiles to private. This will keep your posts viewable only by people you know and trust. Also, be mindful of what your posts contain, avoiding sharenting. For example, does “creepy Colin” from your old work need to know how well your daughter is doing in her Tuesday 7pm ballet class, or can this be shared more privately on a family group chat? While these measures can’t completely safeguard against identity theft, they can reduce the risk.

Even if you’re only connected to people you believe are trustworthy, it’s good to err on the side of caution. Be careful when uploading any information that could be used to find out where you live, where your children go to school, where they were born, or any other personal information. To do so could be putting them at risk. Be especially careful when uploading photographs, as there could be sensitive data visible in the image, such as addressed envelopes, road names, and more.

If your children are using social media, ensure they are also wary of any information they share about themselves. Not only that, but make sure they are cautious about the information they share about their friends. For example, your child may post a Snapchat story when having a sleepover at a friend’s house. If their geolocation data isn’t turned off, they could be putting themselves at risk.

Image of person taking video of their child through a phone screen

Implement privacy controls

A recent study revealed that 40% of toddlers have their own tablet by age 2. By age 4, this rises to 58%. By age 8, a quarter of children also have their own mobile phone.

But what do these findings mean?

It means, for the first time in human history, children are learning to use tablets before they can read, ride bikes, and even recognise colours. With so much technology in the grasp of such small hands, it’s more important than ever to implement privacy controls.

Guardians and schools can:

  • Edit device settings to prevent in-app purchases
  • Restrict screen time and app usage
  • Enable parental controls and Safe Search
  • Turn off location data
  • Use a VPN
  • Restrict websites and web searches that may put young people at risk, e.g. chat rooms
  • Implement a phone collection policy, where devices are locked away during teaching hours.

In 2019, the ICO set out standards for age-appropriate design for online services. These standards will also help to keep children safe online.

The UK’s Information Commissioner at the time the standard was introduced was Elizabeth Denham. She said:

“Online services play an ever-growing part in our children’s lives, but the internet was not designed for children. Our code aims not to protect children from the digital world, but instead protect them within it”.

She added that the code aims to “help create an open, transparent and protected place for children when they are online”.

Image of two toddlers playing on an ipad

Educate children on data privacy from a young age

Educating children about safety is nothing new. Most children will be able to tell you about stranger danger, that you should look both ways when crossing the road, and the dangers of playing with plug sockets. But if asked, how many children would know what their identity means and how to keep it safe? One of the best ways we can protect the privacy of children is through education.

There are many free resources out there specifically for children, including anti-fraud lesson plans, online awareness tools, and many educational videos.

Educating your child about what information shouldn’t be shared with others online is also important. For example, children can be at risk when using video game consoles and PCs. The world of online gaming is a world where many data thieves operate. Fortunately, there are measures you can take to protect your child when gaming, too.

There are many optional privacy settings on gaming consoles, such as enabling child accounts, extra password protection and reporting features to alert platforms about any unsavoury or suspicious behaviour. However, it is crucial to make your child aware of what information to keep secret from others online. Many criminals will pose as other children with the aim of building trust or social pressure. Once trust is built, they can slowly extract personal information about young people. The short video below from Common Sense Media contains five useful internet safety tips that you can share with your children.

In April 2026, the Information Commissioner’s Office also launched a ‘Switched On to Privacy’ campaign. This has a huge number of online resources dedicated to starting conversations with little ones about online privacy and how to stay safe online.

If we can teach our children about cybercrime, personal data, and how to recognise scams, they stand a better chance of knowing how to protect themselves – and others – in the future.

Dispose of documents safely and securely

We also need to be careful about the way we dispose of sensitive information relating to children. Sensitive information could be contained in many forms, so be sure to be very thorough when disposing of data. We’d even recommend adopting a Shred Everything system, which can be implemented at schools and at home.

Documents which may contain sensitive data about children include:

  • Letters about medical and dental appointments
  • Letters from their school
  • Old school books and school reports
  • Old school ID cards and lanyards
  • Birthday card envelopes
  • Travel documents relating to your children – e.g. boarding passes.

The best way to ensure this information is secure is to have it securely destroyed by an accredited supplier. Here at Shred Station, we provide a secure data destruction service for private individuals, as well as a shredding service for schools and educational establishments.

If you’d like to know more about our shredding services, just get in touch today.