Caught my kid on a sketchy website last night

Dec 21 min read

My 12yo son was supposed to be researching for a school project. I walked by and his screen went black real fast. Checked the browser history and he'd been on some site that was clearly trying to get him to download something (those popup ads everywhere). My heart is still racing. We had the talk about this stuff but clearly he either forgot or didn't think it was a big deal.

I'm more concerned than angry. How do I approach this without him just getting sneakier? And what parental control actually prevents this without me having to be Big Brother 24/7?

11 comments41 views

Comments(11)

CChris T.RegularDec 2

12 is exactly the age this starts. He's curious about stuff, trying to find answers, and stumbled onto sketchy ads. This doesn't mean he's a problem kid, it means he's 12. How you handle this conversation matters way more than the fact it happened.

FFred V.RegularDec 3

The black screen panic is so real. I did the same thing with my 13yo and found out he was watching gaming videos with some sketchy ads. Set up parental controls that night. What site was it? Might help to know what to specifically block.

OOmar S.RegularDec 3

Okay so the instant screen blackout is the red flag here. Have you talked to him about what he was actually looking at or are you still in investigation mode?

GGreg M.RegularDec 4

The browser history check is smart but also be ready for some awkwardness when you talk to him about it. 12yo boys get SO embarrassed. Frame it as 'I saw your browser history, here's what I want you to know' instead of interrogation mode.

RRon D.New DadDec 3

Sketchy websites with malware or sketchy websites with adult content? One is a tech safety convo, one is a sex talk. Context matters for how you approach this.

PPhil B.RegularDec 3

Had this exact moment last year. The key is not to freak out when you confront him about it. He's 12, hormones are doing their thing. I just told my son what I found and asked what he was looking for. Turns out he was embarrassed more than anything. We talked about it without shame and that actually helped.

DDex J.New DadDec 3

lol the instant screen blackout never works. They think we're blind. But real talk, this is the convo starter you needed. Better now than when he's 16.

LLuca P.RegularDec 4

Did you check if it was a pop-up redirect situation? A lot of sketchy sites are just aggressive ad networks. Not saying that's definitely what happened but 12yos don't usually intentionally navigate to bad stuff on their own yet. Could've been accidental.

SSam P.RegularDec 5

This is why I finally caved and got my kid a phone with monitoring software. Seemed paranoid at the time but honestly the peace of mind knowing I can see what he's into without being invasive has been worth it. What are you gonna do about it?

JJosh E.RegularDec 5

Don't let him off easy but also don't make it so shameful he never tells you anything again. The conversation is the whole ballgame here. What matters is he knows you're a safe person to talk to about this stuff.

PPhil K.RegularDec 5

This happened to me and I came down hard initially then realized I was the one who taught him how to use the internet but never actually taught him how to evaluate what he's seeing. Now we do media literacy talks. Not punitive, just educational.