7 Internet Safety Threats Parents Need To Talk To Their Kids About

Kids today utilize the internet for practically everything they do, from doing schoolwork, playing games, communicating with friends, watching movies and, sometimes, taking lessons. This also means that teenagers often click on links, create accounts and share information without realizing where it may end up.

Parents don’t have to oversee every click. There are several easy behaviors, that youngsters can take on to prevent many of the troubles that they are likely to encounter online.

1. Public Wi-Fi is convenient, but not necessarily the greatest location to login

Kids don’t just go on the internet at home. They utilize Wi-Fi at libraries, cafés, hotels and airports, sometimes to check school accounts, participate in an online course or just to chat with pals.

On an unfamiliar network you should be a bit more careful than you are on your home Wi-Fi. A VPN can also add an extra level of anonymity by encrypting the traffic between the device and the VPN service. This leads to a typical question parents ask: is a VPN safe? A good VPN is a great security tool, especially on public Wi-Fi, but it can’t protect a child from everything they might see online.

For example, a VPN won’t detect every bogus login page or prevent a person from typing a password on the wrong website. So, it’s as crucial to defend the connection itself as it is to know what you’re clicking on.

2. Links are not always what they seem

A notification can be from a game, school platform or streaming service requiring the user to “verify” their account. The URL then redirects them somewhere else. Tell kids to look at who sent a message before clicking links. A request for a password or payment information out of the blue is an excellent reason to stop and check.

Phishing also doesn’t always look blatantly fishy. Not all scams have horrible spelling or a ridiculous story behind it. A false login page can look almost identical to a website a child visits every week. If a notification warns that there is an issue with an account, it is generally safer to go directly to the well-known website, rather than clicking on the link in the message. If the alert is legitimate, then the same information should typically be accessible via the account itself.

3. Have different passwords for different sites

Having the same password for all accounts is easier, until one gets compromised. Then the same login data might also give someone access to a number of other accounts. Kids should have various passwords for essential accounts and utilize two-factor authentication when it’s available. They should also be aware that passwords are confidential, even if a friend requests for one.

To a child, sharing a game password with a best friend may not sound like a security problem. That still involves providing another person access to the account.

4. Personal information can build rapidly

Kids may know better than to post their home address. Other details are benign in themselves: a school name, a sports club, a date of birth, an outfit, a portrait taken away from home. These elements together can tell far more than you’d like.

Cameras can also leak information. Video calls need the same respect. A school certificate hung on the wall, family portraits or paperwork visible behind a youngster may all provide personal information without it being consciously offered. A simple background or virtual background can help.

5. Recheck the app permissions

A math app probably doesn’t need access to a child’s contact list. They might not need to be in a certain spot for a simple game. Parents should check permissions often and not provide every access upon install.

6. Stop delaying updates

It’s simple to hit “remind me later” when an update pops up, particularly if a child is in the middle of a game or needs the device for schoolwork. But upgrades aren’t only about bringing new features. Often they patch security weaknesses that might leave a phone, tablet or computer vulnerable to attack.

The UK’s National Cyber Security Center suggests applying software and app updates as soon as they are available and turning on automatic updates when possible. Every now and then check your child’s phone, tablet, browser and apps they use often. If there are automatic updates available, turning them on means one less security task to worry about.

7. Give the easiest technique to tell an adult

No security system works in all situations. A child could click on the wrong link, send an email they later regret, or get a message that makes them uncomfortable. What is about to follow is of the greatest significance.

Young people are more likely to seek help promptly knowing the first response will not be anger or loss of access to their devices. The safest children online are those who know the rules. It works a whole lot better if people know who to call if something goes wrong.