Helping Keep Your Grandchild’s Information Safe

Helping Keep Your Grandchild’s Information Safe — Bend Privacy Alliance

Part of the School Tech Privacy series

This guide is one of several from the Bend Privacy Alliance. See the full collection — including a plain-language explainer, a checklist for parents, and a guide written for students themselves.

You do not need to understand computers, apps, or the internet to help protect your grandchild’s privacy. You only need to notice when something is asking for personal information, pause before providing it, and know who to ask.

Kids are often asked to use accounts and apps for school, sports, and other activities. Many of these requests are routine, but even a routine sign-up can ask for more information than the activity actually needs. A simple question from you can help the family review the request before information is shared.

Here are five things you can do.

1 Ask if it’s actually required

If your grandchild is asked to create a new account or download a new app, ask: “Does the school (or the team, or the program) actually require this, or is it optional?” If it is optional, pause before agreeing and check with the child’s parent or guardian. Ask whether saying no would affect the child’s ability to participate — sometimes something described as optional turns out to matter more than it sounds.

2 Ask who runs it and what it wants to know

A simple question works here too: “What company made this, and what information does it ask for?” You don’t need a technical answer — just enough to know whether it’s asking for something that seems like a lot for what it’s actually for.

3 Ask whether it’s the school account or a personal one

Kids sometimes use their school email or login to sign into all sorts of things. It’s worth asking: “Is this the account from school, or a separate one?” If you’re not sure why that matters, that’s fine — it’s a good question to bring to a parent.

4 Don’t fill in more than what’s asked

If a form has extra blank spaces — for a phone number, an address, a photo, or anything else that doesn’t seem necessary — leave optional boxes empty unless there’s a clear reason to provide the information. If the form won’t let you continue without it, ask why the information is required before entering it.

5 When in doubt, pass it along

If a sign-up screen, a consent form, or a message about an app is confusing, or feels like it’s asking for a bit too much, you don’t need to figure it out yourself. Forward it, show it, or mention it to the child’s parent or guardian, a teacher, the school office, or the district staff member responsible for technology and student information — before entering information, installing the app, or helping the child proceed.

A few things worth a second look

If a sign-up form or app asks for any of the following, it’s worth pausing and asking a question before agreeing:

A personal email address or phone number (separate from the school’s)
A full birthdate, home address, or student identification number
The exact location of your grandchild
Access to contacts, photos, or the microphone
A photograph or biometric information (like a fingerprint or face scan)
A request to tell another person a password or one-time verification code
Permission to use your grandchild’s schoolwork to help build or improve an AI product

Any of these can sometimes have a good reason behind them — a school play, a class project, a safety plan. The point isn’t to say no automatically. It’s to ask why, and to feel free to ask again if the answer isn’t clear.

No legitimate school employee, coach, app company, or support worker should ask you or your grandchild to tell them a password or one-time verification code. Use the organization’s official password-reset or support process instead.

A school team, a private sports league, a booster club, and a community program may all follow different rules. Asking who actually runs the activity helps the family know where to direct any questions.

When possible, take a screenshot or photograph of the request before closing it. That gives the parent or guardian something specific to look at later.

You’re not expected to be the expert

You don’t need to know the technology to ask a good question. If something doesn’t sit right, trust that instinct — and hand it off to someone who can look into it further. That’s not a failure on your part. It’s exactly the right thing to do.