Lessons From the Classroom: What Kids in School Taught Me About Online Safety

The good, the bad, and the things that genuinely surprised me

2025 has been one of the most rewarding years of my professional life – and not because of launches, campaigns, or metrics.

This year, I spent time doing what I now see as a public service: discussing cybersecurity awareness with kids across Romania. Not polished lectures, but open, honest conversations in classrooms both in Bucharest and in smaller communities in the northeast of the country.

I have spoken with children from first grade through high school seniors. And what they said has stuck with me. Some of it was encouraging. Some was deeply worrying. And some of it completely challenged my assumptions.

Let’s start with the bad.

The very bad: early access, false confidence, and real danger

Nearly every child I spoke to has a mobile phone. Many are active on social media. Almost all play online games, and Roblox came up constantly.

Kids are aware of what’s happening around them. Some even mentioned the ongoing lawsuits involving Roblox. My own 10-year-old niece tried to catch me off guard a few weeks ago, asking if I knew about them. She was convinced she had the upper hand. She didn’t, but the moment stuck with me. Children are gleaning information about risk without fully understanding what it means for their safety.

Some parents have chosen to ban Roblox entirely. Others haven’t, and that difference showed clearly in how kids talk about boundaries and danger.

One story, in particular, still gives me chills.

A boy in third grade shared that he had been contacted on Facebook by an adult man. Yes, Facebook. He had an account, and his parents were aware of it. The man complimented him and eventually suggested visiting him and taking him on holiday.

What alarmed me most wasn’t just the message itself – tt was that the child didn’t find it strange.

For context, the boy is a musician in his community and uses social media for visibility. To him, attention felt normal. Compliments felt earned. The danger simply didn’t register.

Another story came from a fifth-grade girl. She was waiting outside a supermarket while her mother ran in briefly. An older man stopped nearby, took out his phone, and started photographing her.

This wasn’t a cybersecurity incident – it was a matter of physical risk. But it’s impossible to ignore the connection: children who grow up accustomed to attention, likes, comments, and followers may struggle to recognize when attention crosses into danger.

Older kids aren’t as safe as they think

High schoolers were confident. Very confident.

They told me they knew how to “handle themselves online,” how to spot scams, how to avoid trouble. But as I shared more details about account takeovers, social engineering, data misuse, and how easily trust can be exploited, that confidence faded quickly.

Their self-assurance wasn’t rooted in knowledge. It was rooted in familiarity.

Tween girls were particularly active on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. Younger kids spoke openly about being bullied online, especially in games and on social media. Many described class WhatsApp groups where smaller cliques form and certain classmates are deliberately excluded.

To them, this behavior is normal. To adults, it should be a warning sign.

Another troubling pattern also emerged: although younger kids were aware of scams, AI, and “stranger danger,” many genuinely believed that if someone on Roblox or another platform said they were their age, then it must be true.

That false sense of control is dangerous.

The good: kids do understand more than we think

Now for the good — because there was plenty of it.

I had long, engaging discussions with both younger and older students about personal information and digital footprints. When asked what makes up a digital footprint, kids were quick to answer: their phone number, name, photos, usernames, address, school names, even voice and video.

Together, we made a pact in the classroom — a clear list of things they should never share online, no matter who asks. I hope they keep that promise.

Despite their age, many of these kids are incredibly tech-savvy — often far more so than their parents, especially in rural areas. They knew not to answer unknown phone numbers. They recognized suspicious messages. They understood that “free” things online often come with strings attached.

And then came one of the most surprising parts.

In every single classroom, kids shared stories about scams their parents or other family members had fallen for (or nearly had). One girl explained the fake Sephora Advent Calendar scam in detail. Another talked about a “vote for my child” scam circulating at the time.

They remembered the messages. They remembered the emotions. They were, quite proudly, little tattletales.

This could be seen as bad news, but I found it fascinating. Kids are watching. They’re learning from adult mistakes.

Curious, critical, and sharper than expected about AI

When we talked about AI, curiosity filled the room. And when I showed examples of deepfake images and videos, many kids (across age groups) were able to tell that something was off.

Not all of them. Not every time. But enough to challenge the assumption that children are blindly fooled by AI-generated content.

They’re not clueless. They’re curious. And that curiosity is a huge opportunity when guided properly.

What parents are missing — and why talking matters

If there’s one message I want parents to take from all this, it’s simple:

Have the cyber talk.

Know what your children do online.
Know who they talk to.
Know which games they play and which platforms they use.

Not through interrogation. Through conversation.

Kids are already online. They’re already navigating complex spaces. The least we can do is walk alongside them, ask questions, and listen before someone else does.

Practical cyber tools families can use starting fresh in 2026

Conversations work best when they’re backed by the right tools — especially ones that are easy to use and free.

Here are a few Bitdefender tools families can start using immediately to support safer online habits:

• Bitdefender Scamio
  A free AI-powered scam detector that helps identify suspicious messages, links, and offers. Kids can ask Scamio if something looks like a scam — and parents can use it too.
• Bitdefender Link Checker
  A simple, free tool that checks whether a link is safe before clicking. Especially useful for fake giveaways, gaming links, and social media messages.
• Bitdefender Password Generator
  Helps create strong, unique passwords — a crucial step for protecting gaming accounts, social media profiles, and school logins.

These tools encourage kids to pause, check, and think before acting online.

For families who want stronger protection: parental controls that support trust

No tool replaces trust and communication, but smart parental controls can support both.

Bitdefender’s family security solutions include parental control features that help parents:

• Understand which apps and platforms kids are using
• Set healthy screen-time limits
• Block inappropriate or risky content
• Reduce exposure to online threats without constant surveillance

Used correctly, these tools don’t spy but guide. And they open the door to better conversations about boundaries and responsibility online.

A free cybersecurity guide for kids, parents, and teachers 

For families and educators who want extra support, Bitdefender also offers a free, downloadable resource: 

Bitdefender Cybersecurity Guide for Kids