Somewhere between the first tablet and the first phone, most kids will get a message that isn't what it claims to be: a text about a "missed delivery," a pop-up saying they've won a prize, a direct message from a "friend" asking for a gift card code. These moments are common, and they're also a genuine opportunity. With a little preparation, kids can learn to spot the signs of a scam the same way they learn to look both ways before crossing the street — as a normal, calm habit, not a source of anxiety.
Why This Conversation Matters Now
Scams aren't just an "older adult" problem. According to a Federal Trade Commission data spotlight, adults under 60 — including Gen Z and Millennials — were 34% more likely than adults 60 and older to report losing money to fraud in 2021, and nearly 40% of fraud losses reported by 18- to 29-year-olds in the FTC's data started on social media. Younger people tend to lose smaller amounts per incident than older adults, but they encounter scam attempts far more frequently, often through the same apps and platforms they use every day to chat with friends and play games.
That's worth knowing not to alarm anyone, but to make the case for starting this conversation early and treating it as routine digital literacy, alongside things like passwords and privacy settings.
What Scams Aimed at Kids and Teens Actually Look Like
Scammers go where the audience is, which increasingly means gaming platforms, social apps, and text messages rather than email. Some of the most common versions kids run into include:
- Fake prizes and giveaways — a message claiming they've won a gift card, game currency, or a free device, asking them to "verify" by entering personal or account details.
- Impersonated friends or accounts — a message that looks like it's from a real friend or favorite creator, but the account was hacked or spoofed, often asking for money, codes, or login details.
- "Free" in-game items or currency — offers to trade or generate free skins, coins, or upgrades in exchange for account credentials.
- Fake delivery or account alerts — texts warning that a package couldn't be delivered or an account is "locked," with a link to click and "resolve" it.
- Urgent, emotional pressure — messages designed to make someone act fast, before they have time to think it through or ask a parent.
The common thread across nearly all of these is urgency plus a request: click this link, enter this code, send this information, do it now. Once kids can recognize that pattern, the specific disguise matters much less.
Teaching the "Stop, Check, Tell" Habit
Rather than trying to catalog every possible scam, it helps to give kids one simple, repeatable habit they can apply to anything unexpected:
- Stop. Don't click, reply, or download right away — even if the message feels urgent. Real companies, schools, and friends can wait a few minutes.
- Check. Does this make sense? Would this person or company actually contact me this way? Look for small red flags — odd links, misspellings, a "friend" who suddenly needs money.
- Tell. Show it to a parent or trusted adult, no matter how obvious or silly it might seem in hindsight. There's no such thing as a dumb question when it comes to a suspicious message.
That last step is the one worth reinforcing the most. Kids are far more likely to ask for help if they know the reaction will be calm and curious rather than a lecture about what they should have known.
Turning a Scam Text Into a Teaching Moment
You don't need a formal sit-down talk to teach this. The FTC actually recommends using the real thing: the next time a scam text lands on your own phone, show it to your kids and ask them what tipped them off. Turning it into a quick, low-stakes guessing game — "is this real or fake, and how can you tell?" — builds the same pattern-recognition skill as a lecture, without the lecture. Over time, kids get genuinely good at spotting the tells: a link that doesn't quite match the real website, a sender name that's almost right, a request that doesn't fit how a real company or friend would actually communicate. The FTC's broader guide on recognizing and avoiding phishing scams is also a useful refresher for parents who want a quick checklist of the most common tricks.
Keeping the Door Open
The single biggest factor in whether a kid asks for help isn't how much they know about scams — it's whether they expect to be believed and supported rather than blamed. Make it clear, more than once, that forwarding a weird message or admitting "I think I clicked something" is always the right call, and it will never get them in trouble. Some families find it helps to have one shared, low-pressure place to drop a screenshot of anything suspicious, whether that's a family group chat, a messaging app, or a feature like FamilyGuard's built-in family chat, where a quick "does this look off to you?" can get a fast, judgment-free answer.
This isn't about monitoring every message a child sends or receives — it's about giving them a habit and a safety net they'll actually use, built on the same trust that makes any family safety routine work in the first place.
A Skill That Grows With Them
The scams kids see at eight look different from the ones they'll see at sixteen, and different again as young adults managing their own accounts and money. But the underlying skill — pausing before reacting to urgency, checking whether something makes sense, and feeling safe enough to ask — stays useful for life. Teaching it early, calmly, and without fear-mongering gives kids a tool they'll carry long after you've stopped checking their messages for them.