In today’s digital and always-online world, children are increasingly using the internet, and the trends predict that the numbers are only going to rise. The right time to talk to your kids and teens about cybersecurity is now. According to a 2015 study by Child Trends, 60% of children aged 3-17 used the internet at home, a steep climb from 11% in 1997.

Another study by The Center for Parenting Education found that kids and teens aged 8-28 spend about 44.5 hours in front of digital screens each week. Children are starting with the internet early, and it’s a parent’s job to add safeguards and filters to ensure a safe online environment.

Ways to Achieve Cybersecurity

However, parents can’t do it alone. The children need to be included in the discussion about cybersecurity and how to stay safe online.  Like it or not, the internet can be a dangerous place, and they can get caught in it. The web can help kids with their homework or research, and there’s no denying that it’s a game-changer for education. But there are bad actors and predators out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce at the most vulnerable members of society – children.

Here are the most critical topics you need to discuss with your children.

Passwords

If your kids are old enough to create and manage their accounts, talk to them about the importance of using strong passwords. The general rule is to use a combination of 8-12 upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. Never use the same password for everything, because if one account gets compromised, all accounts will follow suit. Also, refrain from using personal information like names, pet names, street names, and birthdays.

Using a password manager can help store and encrypt all passwords, so you don’t have to memorize them. Make sure that you write down the master password and keep it in a secure location. Please don’t take a picture of it or save it on your phone.

Sharing Personal Information

Talk to your children about sharing too much personal information online, such as photos, videos, names, birthdays, and other sensitive data. Educate them about the fact that anything that they share or post online will be on the internet forever, so private social media posts must remain closed. Talk to them about the criminals looking to steal their information for identity theft, and the predators who will try to manipulate and exploit them.

Sex offenders like to collect photos and videos of kids, while some are known to trick children into believing they’re the same age as them. Most are violent and will spew obscenities regardless, so let your child know that anytime he or she feels threatened or uncomfortable while online, to tell you immediately. Getting an identity theft monitoring service for you and your children can help mitigate the risks of identity theft.

Viruses and Malware

Threat actors embed malware everywhere – software, apps, videos, and even websites. These are like bombs waiting for a trigger, and in most cases, the trigger is the user. While making sure your computer devices are equipped for proper cyber security, talk to your child about the dangers of downloading files online, clicking links from social media posts or unsolicited email, and visiting infected sites.

These may contain malicious programs that will install itself and infect the device, stealing sensitive data, or corrupting the entire system. Phishing attacks via email target anyone, and if an attacker gets your child to give up the network password, all your devices will be in jeopardy.

Also, warn your child about illegal movie streaming websites that are loaded with malicious ad popups and viruses. Install security software on all your devices and always keep the antivirus and firewall activated. For additional security or if you are running a business on a network, learn more about what the best hardware firewall is for your needs.

Using Unsecure WiFi

Your kids need to know that public WiFi is not secure and hackers lie waiting for the most vulnerable devices to exploit. Even if an establishment like a mall or coffee shop has a WiFi password, the attacker can get it too if he’s there enjoying a latte.

For added safety and peace of mind when using free WiFi, get a trusted VPN (virtual private network) service and use it on all your devices. A VPN creates a tunnel that encrypts your traffic, hiding your real IP address and location from anyone snooping around. Even your ISP won’t know what you’re doing online.

In a Nutshell

The internet is everywhere, and reality dictates that your child will encounter a facet of the online world sooner rather than later. While the internet is a fantastic place where kids can learn anything under the sun, the parameters of having a borderless online world coupled with freedom and anonymity are what makes the situation a scary one for parents.

The fact is, the internet is an unsafe place despite all the good stuff about learning and discovery, which is why every parent should start educating their kids about cybersecurity at the earliest opportunity.

Daniel William is Content Director and a Cyber Security Director at IDStrong. His great passion is to maintain the safety of the organization’s online systems and networks.  

He knows that both individuals and businesses face the constant challenge of cyber threats. Identifying and preventing these attacks is a priority for Daniel.

Many schools use our website to provide Google SafeSearch for safe filtered search of the internet. Our tools also include safe image search, wiki for kids and safe videos.  Now you can directly install the Safe Search App on any of your mobile devices for worry free access. Every filtered search happens within the app.

When users click on a website that appears in the search results, the user remains within the safety of the app.  Bottom line, any child using the app, whether they be a preschooler, tween or teen, has easier access to our safe search for kids tools.  Searching on the app ensures that filtered results are not part of a web browser.

Important!  Our free safe search app is not the same as a parental control app.  If kids use another mobile browser to search the web, content will not be filtered, but the app still goes a long way to provide strict filtering of Google.

Safe Search for Schools:  If not using our website for safe browsing, install this app for safe search results on mobile devices.  Alternatively, schools can download parental controls for use on any device in the classroom.

The Safe Search App – Downloads!

If you have an iPhone, iPad, Android smart phone or tablet such as Google Chrome, download The Safe Search Kids App for easy access.

To download these apps on your phone or tablet, you must reading this article on the device where the app will be installed.  Or go to www.SafeSearchApp.com on your device before clicking the links. 

Download the Safe Search App for iPhone/iPad – iOS devices.

Download the Safe Search App for Google Play – Android devices.

Download the Safe Search App for Kindle Fire / Amazon.

In addition to filtered search results of the entire internet using Google, the same search tools we feature on our website are available on the app.

Safe Image Search

Safe Video Search

Wikipedia for Kids

We encourage you to continue to use our website for safe search results enhanced by Google through KidzSearch.  I if you are on a computer or laptop that wasn’t created for app downloads. Bookmark this page and conduct of all your web searches on the top of this page for strict web filtering.

• Additional safe search features new include safe online games and safe app search to ensure downloads are not compromised.

Download the Safe Search Kids APP for Mobile Devices, enhanced by Google. For these links to work, access this article through your mobile device or go to SafeSearchApp.com from your mobile device.

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Safe App Update:  Our Safe Search partner is working on a new product for the KidzSearch app that will let parents and schools (teachers) remotely monitor what kids are doing. It will also control the filtering on the app. An update for the Android version was just release that checks each url for safety.  It blocks harmful bad url’s by going against a very large database of sites that are not safe for kids. It also enhances parental controls for YouTube by looking at the specific video title/category and checking safety.

If parents remove all browsers from their phones or tablets, it greatly improves the safety of their device. The previous version of the app gave safe search results, but it is possible to get to a search engine, like Bing, and then find adult content through it. For example, they could use Wikipedia to find a link to Bing. This new update on the app stops that from happening.  For more parental control settings on your devices, explore our free parental controls guide for complete Internet safety.

The next phase will include an upgrade where parents can monitor history and do other things, like entirely block sites they don’t like, as well as control the search strictness level.  More details will soon be posted.

Click the banner below to download the Safe Search App for the device.

When it comes to showing your child the internet, there’s a lot to explore. It can be overwhelming knowing where to start. Just because there are dangers online shouldn’t stop parents from exploring productive and beneficial opportunities for kids to learn. It’s all about finding the right programs to benefit and complement their real-life learning skills.

If you’re not too sure where to begin when it comes to the internet and your child, let’s talk about five things that your child can learn online.

1.     Try a Readability App

A lot of kids struggle to learn to read. Whether it’s at home or kindergarten, for some reason, they’re just not getting it and coming to you frustrated. Teaching them to learn how to read is also easier said than done.

However, there are now online resources that make it a little easier to teach your child how to read. A readability app has a variety of different reading programs to encourage them to persist and learn an important new skill. From pointing out where they make mistakes to encouraging different reading levels, this is a great way to build up your child’s confidence around reading.

2.     Teach Them Math

Math is another tough skill to teach a child, especially if they’re not naturally inclined that way. Luckily, there are a number of different online resources that can not only prepare your toddler for what they will learn in school but can also make learning math fun and interactive.

Whether it’s a math learning game or math training that improves their skill levels, you’ve got many different options to choose from.

3.     Ignite Their Creativity

You may not know it, but there are a lot of resources on the internet for kids that aren’t just mindless games. In fact, there are game apps made for kids with education in mind, designed specifically for the purpose of encouraging their creativity.

Make sure that you find a game and encourage the child to think for themselves and inspires them to use their imagination and get creative.

4.     Learn to be Organized

One of the biggest skills that your child will learn as they prepare to start school is how to be organized and plan ahead. When they’ve got to get up and make their lunch, get dressed, and remember what homework they have to hand in today, having planning skills is going to make all this a lot easier.

There are now quite a few apps that can help your child plan ahead, so they can see their schedule in front of them and not get so overwhelmed by the day.

5.     Improve Language and Grammar Skills

Another essential skill for your child to learn as they get ready to start school is grammar – and, of course, language. These two go hand in hand with reading, so it’s no surprise that there are interactive apps and games that can help improve your child’s grammar and language skills.

While the internet can be tough terrain from time to time, there’s also a lot on offer when it comes to your child learning new skills. Make sure to keep them safe online too, and monitor their activity whenever you can.  There are also methods to help limit your kids screen time to ensure a proper balance between all of their activities.

Around the World Online With Kids

Whether you are on the school playground or spending time with friends in your neighborhood on the weekend, not everything always goes as planned. You could skin your knees, bump your head going up the monkey bars and get splashed in the pool. Accidents happen. People get mad.

In that finger-snap moment, many say or do things that hurt friendships, feelings and even get them into trouble.

That doesn’t have to happen to you. You just need a few tools.

There’s nothing wrong with feeling mad. Everyone feels mad from time to time. The problem is when the anger makes you do things that hurt you or other people. That’s why the most important thing to think when you get mad is this: TAKE CONTROL.

TAKE CONTROL. You are stronger than you think. You have the power to get control of your anger. Here are some ways:

• When you open your mouth to yell at someone who hit you or splashed you, take a breath. Hold that breath. Let it out slowly. Take another breath. Those few seconds will save you from saying something mean or making someone else mad.

• Make fists and throw them away. That is, curl your hands into fists then quickly fling your hands open. Do that over and over until you feel your burning anger fade.

• Walk away. Walk to the side. Pace back and forth. This is a good way to help when you stub your toe or hurt your arm. It helps ease the pain while you let the anger out.

• Close your eyes and grit your teeth. Then let yourself relax. This helps you calm down and think.

These actions may seem easy, but they are not. You may need to practice them with friends or your parents. But they are important because they give you control. Once you have control, you can think about what made you mad. When you can think with a calm head, you can take care of what the problem is.

Did you bump your head? Then call an adult to make sure that you are not badly hurt.

Did another kid yell a mean comment to you? When you have control you can walk away or just roll your eyes or go tell your parents. If the comment was truly hurtful, you can talk about it with friends or family or a special adult—yelling back makes you just as hurtful as the person who hurt you.

Many adults go through life struggling with their anger. They get in trouble. This can often be made worse when they express their anger on social media. Some people go to jail. Many never learn to be the boss of their anger. They pay a big price for that. You are better than that—or you can be—when you learn what to do when you get mad.

When You Are Get Upset with Friends

Jill knows that Ringo — her fluffy spotted puppy — can understand her. Whenever she’s on her phone, Ringo sits politely at her feet and stares at her with round, brown eyes. Today, Jill read her social media posts to him. “Look,” she said, “Zazza is mad at Sam because he got into the school band and she didn’t”.

Jill continued. “Zazza said Sam got in because he gave the teacher a flower before auditions. They’re both my friends and I don’t know what to say.”

Ringo cocked his head and sniffed at the phone.

Jill sighed. “I know what you mean, Ringo. They’re both my friends. If I post something that makes Zazza feel good, it will make Sam mad. If I post something that makes Sam happy, Zazza will be upset. What should I do?”

Ringo flattened on the floor and covered his ears with his fuzzy white paws.

Jill crossed her arms.  “You really think I should just stay out of it?”

Ringo sat up and panted.

“You’re right. Zazza is hurt right now, but she does so much, she’ll forget about it in a few days. Maybe I should wait ‘til I see her in person and tell her I’m sorry she didn’t get on the band.”

Ringo’s tail started sweeping the floor.

“You like that idea? That way, Zazza will l know I care and I won’t make Sam mad. After all, he’s my friend, too.”

Ringo let his long tongue flop out of the side of his mouth. Then he gave a deep, strong, “Woof.”

Jill nodded. “You’re smart. If I post something online, it will look like I’m taking sides between two people I like. If I talk to them in person, I’ll be a real friend instead of just someone who on comments online.”

Ringo panted happily. He liked people when they talked to each other in person. Being a dog, he knew that real friends share real time in the real world.

Online friends can’t throw sticks for you. They can’t sneak you a pizza crust when parents aren’t looking. Online friends can’t scratch your ears or take you for a walk. They can’t hug you or fill your water bowl. That’s why Ringo knows that what happens online is only part of being a friend. Being a real friend means being supportive in the real world and being kind in the real world.

Jill got off social media and phoned Sam. She congratulated him for getting on the band. Then she called Zazza and invited her over for pizza night.

That’s when Jill’s phone beeped. She looked at the message. “This is your Mom. Didn’t you forget something else in the real world?”

Jill smiled and tossed down her phone. “Hey, Mom,” she yelled into the kitchen. “Is it okay if Zazza comes over for pizza?”

How to Argue without Being Mean

What is he thinking? What’s wrong with her? How could they say those things? You want to talk back and let those friends know that you are right and they are wrong wrong wrong! How do you do that? You argue back—with Arguing Skill.  But you do it without being mean or spiteful.

• NEVER ARGUE WHEN YOU ARE MAD OR SAD.

This is a hard one. When you feel like arguing about something, it is because the conflict makes you feel mad or sad.  But when you are mad or sad, you lose control. You just weep or stomp around. You won’t win an argument, and you might make people think you are silly. Also, when you are mad or sad, you are likely to call people names, which is a bad way to argue.

• REALLY LISTEN AND HAVE RESPECT.

Part of being a ninja arguer is really hearing what the other person is saying. When you really understand what the other person thinks, you will be better at making that person understand you. if you really want someone to listen to you, you must listen to him or her.

• BE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND WHY.

“Just ‘cause” is not a reason. You need to be able to say clearly and nicely what your goal is and give reasons why your opinion should win.

• BE OPEN TO COMPROMISE.

COMPROMISE is when two people each give in a little to make a deal work. By compromising, both of you win.

Now, let’s see how these four points work in real life. Let’s start in the playground.

You’ve been playing basketball with your friends. After about an hour, Sandy grabs the ball and won’t give it back. She wants to go home and play video games. You want to keep playing, as do the other friends. You want to call her mean for taking the ball.

Instead, think. At that moment you don’t want to be nice.  Put your hands on your hips and take a few steps, counting to ten. This gives you time to cool off (point 1).

Now, go back to Sandy and ask her why she wants to play video games rather than basketball (point 2).

Sandy says, “We’ve been playing all afternoon. It’s getting boring.” Being smart, you also listen with your eyes. You see that she’s sweaty and tired. Maybe she doesn’t want to sound weak.

As her friend, you respect what she says. But there are still five of you that want to keep playing (point 3).“We’d like to keep playing,” you say. Then you reach point 4.

Compromise. So you say, “How about we use your ball and play a bit longer. I’ll drop it off at your house when it’s done.” Sandy could reply: “Mom told me not to lend the ball out.” What do you do? Here’s an idea: “How about we play for another fifteen minutes then we can all go play video games?”

Each argument is different, because the people arguing are different. The goal is to come to an agreement. The better you can argue, the better you can get along.

Saying No Doesn’t Mean You Are Angry

For to many people, being kind means smiling all the time, being quiet and polite. You may think saying no to friends is a sign of aggression, just like when you get angry.   Yet, anger management doesn’t mean you are never angry.  Nor doesn’t mean showing anger is bad.  It’s about controlling your angry so you don’t hurt yourself or others.

Likewise, saying no is sometimes necessary to maintain safe boundaries.  Sometimes you have to stand up for yourself.  You don’t always have to be sweet and agreeable.   Many times, to be a “better person” you need to say: NO.

Life can be so easy if you always say yes. Yes, you’ll skip out of gym class. Yes, you’ll try to hit passing cars with rocks. Yes, you’ll see if you can take that flash drive without paying for it. By saying yes, you go with the flow. You follow the lead of someone else. You know what you are doing is wrong, but when a group of friends is staring at you, waiting for your answer, being “good” can be hard.

Saying NO can sound mean. Saying NO can make your friends angry. They might not even want to be friends anymore. That can make YOU angry or sad. Being a good person sometimes means standing up for what is right, even when everyone else seems against you. Being good means saying NO.

Saying no can be hard. As your friends are looking at you, saying no can be the hardest thing you will ever do. The problem is that saying yes can be even harder—but not at the time. After all, when you say yes, everyone laughs, nods and slaps you on the back.

But by saying yes to your friends, you could put yourself in danger. You could end up in trouble with your parents, your school or even the police. Saying yes to a cigarette or pot joint might not seem like a big deal, but yes could lead to an addiction that takes years to beat and costs thousands of dollars. Saying yes can hurt your health and cost you years of life.

Saying no can sting. It can make people yell at you. It can make you seem like a chicken when in fact saying no can take all the strength in your bones. People talk about being better people—and saying NO can feel like the wrong way to do it. That’s a mistake.

Saying NO tells the world that you are you are able to think for yourself. It tells the world that you are working hard to be a good person, even when being a good person can hurt.

Talk to your parents about saying NO. Talk to your friends about how hard it can be to stand up to bullies by saying NO. By learning early on when to say that little word, you are on your way to being a better person.