Forbes provides some good guidance on protecting children from Identity Theft: Freezing your child’s credit file helps prevent criminals from opening new accounts in your child’s name, but it is still prudent to monitor their credit periodically to check for fraudulent activity. You can breathe easier with a credit freeze applied to your accounts, but don’t get too complacent. The 2017 Equifax data breach highlights that there will always be vulnerabilities in the system. You need to stay vigilant because no protection system is 100% effective. You can learn more about the credit freeze process for the three major credit reporting bureaus at their respective sites: