Children are prime targets for identity theft because nobody checks their credit for years. A credit freeze is free and prevents anyone from opening accounts in your child's name. Freezing their credit is step one — the guided Apple device setup covers their day-to-day digital life.
Why Freeze Your Child's Credit
Children's Social Security numbers are valuable to identity thieves because they're clean. There's no credit history to check, no fraud alerts, and often no one looks at the credit report until the child turns 18 and applies for their first loan or credit card. By then, the damage is done.
A credit freeze prevents anyone from opening new credit accounts using your child's information. It's free by federal law, and there's no downside since your child shouldn't need credit anyway.
Don't Pay for "Child Identity Protection"
Services that charge monthly fees to "protect" your child's identity are largely unnecessary. A credit freeze does the job for free. These paid services often just monitor for problems after they happen. A freeze prevents the problem in the first place.
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Continue for the exact freeze steps at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, with the documents you’ll need.
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