Safe Search Kids - Education, Parenting, Internet Safety for All

It can be hard to make sure your kids stay happy and healthy during online classes. The sudden shift to a virtual format has been anything but easy. If you’re a parent watching your child struggle as they try to adjust to the online format, here are a few suggestions for ways that you can help.

Set Your Child Up with a Dedicated Home Classroom

There are dedicate a space for your child to do their school work. Much like working from home, a dedicated space creates boundaries and helps establish school-life balance.

It also gives you the chance to create a specific area that is optimized for school. You and your child can personalize the space to help them stay organized and positive every time they enter the area to “go to school.”

Don’t Let Your Kid Work on Something for Too Long

It’s officially recommended that an adult not work on the same task for more than two hours at a time. For children with shorter attention spans, that number drops dramatically. If you have a preschooler, their attention span maxes out at a whopping 5 to 20 minutes.

If your kid is spending too much time on a project or a piece of homework, don’t be afraid to break up the job for them. Helping them learn to regulate themselves and take breaks will be a skill that they take with them for the rest of their lives.

Help Your Kid Unplug Often

The focus of getting through online school is obviously on the “online” part. However, it’s also good to consider the time when your kids are not in class, too. A few suggestions for ways to help them include:

• Turning off distractions like notifications on their mobile devices.
• Using the “screen time” or “focus mode” features to curb access to unnecessary apps.
• Limiting screentime in the evenings and weekends.
• Making sure they aren’t getting too much blue light before bedtime.

They may not love it at the moment, but helping your child unplug when they aren’t in school will do wonders for their mental state.

Regularly Check In with Your Kid

While unplugging and being in the present are important, you also want to ensure that your kid isn’t spending too much time completely on their own.

One way to address this is by planning family time. Look for hobbies like cooking or reading that you can do together. Additionally, simply spend time talking with them. You can use these occasions to check in and see how they’re doing. For instance, if they’re feeling tired, you can talk about the connection between fatigue and depression and then use that as a segue for more health-related conversations.

Make Sure Your Child Isn’t Alone Too Much

Along with private conversations, you can also help your child maintain their social lives. You can do this by setting up Zoom playdates, letting them make phone calls, or even planning a full-blown virtual party for your kid. Because every family in your circle is likely in the same boat, be sure to plan far in advance.

You can also help them stay connected in more subtle ways. For instance, have them write an email or even a handwritten letter to one of their friends. Whatever the activity, look for ways to help your kid avoid the closed-off feeling of prolonged isolation.

Tend to Your Kid’s Basic Health Concerns

It’s also important to help your kids understand the importance of basic health maintenance. This should focus on three areas, in particular:

• Sleep: Make sure that they’re getting the right amount of sleep for their age.
• Exercise: Consistent exercise helps keep the body healthy and stress at a minimum.
• Eating: A well-rounded diet is critical for growing minds and bodies.

Once again, helping your kids learn to consider these important things while they’re also balancing virtual school is a life skill that they’ll continue to benefit from for decades.

Set Your Child Up for Success

Finally, it’s also important to grease the wheels for your child’s educational success wherever possible. This can be done in many ways, such as:

• Charging their digital devices while they’re sleeping.
• Maintaining a consistent and clear schedule for them.
• Teaching them about Zoom etiquette and how to communicate online.

By doing what you can behind the scenes, you can help your child feel supported and encouraged every day.

Cultivating Happy, Healthy Kids During Remote School

The education system may be in a rapid state of change at the moment. However, that doesn’t mean that your kids have to suffer from the negative side effects of the ongoing academic evolution.

Do your best to come by their side and support them throughout this transformative time. While we may not know what will come next, if you can stay strong for your kids during this time, you can rest assured that your family won’t suffer, regardless of what the future may hold.

Microsoft 365 accounts have come under increasing attacks by hackers. It seems like no organization is safe if reports are anything to go by. It seems like no organization is safe if reports are anything to go by.

Microsoft released a report that the level of threat sophistication is rising. It makes it harder for them to identify cybercriminals. Key areas of concern are the internet of things (IoT) devices. Other threats are ransomware, and credential harvesting. In 2019, the company blocked 13 billion suspicious and malicious emails.

Foreign governments are also playing dirty. They are working with hackers to monitor US treasury department emails. They also used software and Microsoft Office 365 to get access. Hacking is, without a doubt, a major concern for everyone. It is crucial to prevent such attacks.

Parents must also be extra watchful. You must take the necessary steps to keep kids safe while online.

We will show you everything you need to do to secure your Microsoft 365 account.

How to Secure a Microsoft Office 365 Account and Keep Your Kids Safe While Online

Microsoft Office 365 accounts are critical for most businesses. But, they have also become quite popular amongst hackers. Once the cyber criminals are in your system, they access services and applications. Such include the calendar, SharePoint file, email, and Onedrive.

It will compromise your online security and expose you to different threats. Hackers will use several methods to get excess. Such include:

• Phishing through the use of fake login pages. They will often ask you to change your account settings, including the password.
• Business email compromise where the hacker uses a genuine Office 365 account. You get an email asking for specific information or action. Be careful about opening links whose source you do not know. Be wary of emails that have a lot of urgencies, especially to send money.

How to Know When a Hacker Compromises Your Microsoft Office 365 Account

There are specific things that show that your Microsoft Office 365 account is not safe. Such include:

• An increase in email deletions due to the mailbox rules.
• Difficulty accessing account.
• Changes to your account that you did not allow.
• Suggestions for new actions including Mail forwarding or moving orders.
• Requests for password changes from location to do not know.
• Many login attempts.
• An increase in inbox activities that you are not taking.
• Changes to your profile, contact details, signatures, and credentials.

Steps To Take To Secure Your Microsoft Office 365 Account

If you are on the receiving end of hacking, it can be scary. There are steps you can take to restore safety on Microsoft 365. Remember online security starts with you. Watch the sites your children visit.

If possible, restrict access to some of the sites. Only use secured networks when you are online. Also, enable the firewall and install the necessary antivirus protection on your devices.

1.   Work Offline

When you always connect your computer to the internet, hackers have an easy way of finding access to you. The alternative is to work offline as much as you can. It is a good idea to consider if the kids use the computer a lot, especially for school work.

Install the desktop version of Office 365. It eliminates the need to depend on the cloud to access the applications. You still have access to your programs without needing internet connectivity.

2.   Use Microsoft Office for Chromebook

To increase security, consider installing Microsoft Office for Chromebook.  The Chromebook’s design focuses a lot on security features. It makes it safer than Linux, Android, iOS, and even windows.

Chromebook works by blocking any installation attempts. If there is a malicious virus in an email, it will not attack your system. Everything you do when using Chromebook is cloud-based.

It makes it harder for hackers to get access to your system. The developers are always rolling out updates. Verified boots, and sandboxing also help prevent infection. In the long-term, you save a lot. You do not need external malware or virus protection.

3.   Use Strong Passwords and Multi-Factor Authentication

A weak password can compromise your safety. Take the time to craft a strong password for your accounts. A combination of numbers, letters, and symbols is a good idea. Avoid the use of birthdays, anniversaries, and 1234 as passwords.

Enable the password expiration so that you only use the password for several days.

Multi-factor authentication requires the use of an extra password to access the account. It uses information that only you would know. It may ask questions like who was your first teacher. What was the first object that you ever bought for yourself? Who is your favorite author? The answer you give becomes your second password.

4.   Configure Your Office 365 Accounts

Be careful about how you use the administrative account. Do not give access to everyone and assign privileges. You should not use the admin account for administrative use.

Before you access the admin account, make sure you close all other browser sessions. Do the same for any email accounts that are currently running. Once you finish using the admin account, make sure you log out completely.

Do not let anyone else get access to your emails or calendars. Avoid Mail forwarding to external domains. Remove global mail forwarding that the attacker may have created.

Also, take advantage of the security measures that Microsoft Office has in place. The company is even using artificial intelligence to improve the Microsoft defender.

5.   Secure Mobile Devices

Take note of the mobile devices you use as well. Microsoft Intune is a mobile device management tool that helps you secure your data. You can use it on IOS, Windows, Android, and iOS devices. If you lose your device, you can wipe out the data remotely.

Final Thoughts

From our article, we have shown that hackers can breach Microsoft Office 365. The good news is that there are specific steps to prevent breaches. Come up with a strong password and take advantage of the multi-factor authentication.

Download the desktop version of Office 365 so that you do not depend on the cloud. The other option is to use Microsoft Office for Chromebook. You get to enjoy the security features of the latter.

It is important to keep the kids safe while online. Use some of the tips we have shared above and enjoy peace of mind knowing they are safe.

Educate yourself and your family on how to protect your computer at risk.

Learn how hackers can access your computer via a session hijacking attack.

From the outside world, the definition of safety is undoubtedly simple- The state in which conditions leading to physical, psychological, and material harm of individuals is prevented and controlled.  Meaning, safety is key to maintaining a properly functioning environment of any workplace, and school safety is not exceptional.

For kids in schools, their safety couples a safer learning and playing environment.

However, for many kids, it’s not always easy to access positive academic and playing surroundings. Discrimination by other kids, violence, theft, bullying, and fear of infractions—all of which threaten your kids’ safety.  Add to the fact that some kids live in unfavorable conditions from home resulting in psychological instabilities where support at schools becomes vital.

Before we discuss the tips for kid’s safety, here are some considerations to have in mind:

• The school safety measures should protect kids from violence, bullying, theft, threats, exposure to weapons, and substance abuse on and off the school grounds.

• Safety is just more than physical attributes. It’s to ensure kids eat healthy meals, play well, study, and can explore the use of technology.

• Also, it’s about ensuring kids are safely picked up after school with the right or approved persons—all of which should be the concern of both the parents and teachers.

Now, here are some tips to ensure the safety of your kids in school.

Have a plan for injury prevention

You may agree with me that most injuries by kids are fall-related or pedestrian-related crashes, which are preventable. Controlling or modifying your child’s environment is a top priority. In other words, be mindful of where your kids’ play. This includes ensuring your school is adhering to standards for playground safety.

But how can you do that?

Understand the school’s surrounding and ensure there is no harmful equipment on the playgrounds to prevent any unnecessary injuries. In cases where there is construction going on within the school premises, ensure you provide a helpful guide so that the kids stay safe from dropping objects.

Also, during their sports and recreation times, ensure the kids are wearing the proper protective gear to decrease their risk of injuries. Remind them of the rules of the game and that they must watch out for others so as to not cause injury to others.  Needless to say, kids need to also be prevented from hurting others intentionally, including when they may lose their temping in the heat of the moment.

First Aid Protocols

Complete prevention of your child being hurt is something no one can guarantee. But, you can be ready to help if injuries occur with a little planning and ensuring the right resources are in place. Therefore, you must ensure there is a protocol to provide medications and first aid services to treat injured kids.

Some kids will be on medications, which means they may need to carry their medicines to school.  School administrators and teachers need to be notified so they are aware of these prescriptions to also ensure they are kept away from other children.

It is important to remain vigilant and ensure the kids are aware of their medicines so there’s no chance of mixing if they are taking more than one. For safety purposes, explain to them why they should only take medications as directed.

Be aware of the kid’s food allergies

Individuals with food allergies and compromised immune systems effected by certain foods should know what to do if they accidentally ingest food that can cause harm.  Some of the allergies will cause swelling, itching, fainting, among other serious effects.

With the allergy status of the kids in mind, you must let the kids check with you first before they take any food that has not been given to them in their lunch. Teachers should be aware and remind kids to be conscious of any allergy they have and ensure safety measures are in place.

Additional thought should be given to child allergies in general and ensure your school’s first aid kit contains sufficient antihistamines, as well as albuterol for asthma attacks.

Teach and warn kids on the effects of conflict

Sure, conflict is inevitable. It is part of most relationships, and children are not exempt.  Schools should have programs in place to teach kids about the potential dangers of fighting or even the slightest aggressive behavior against one of their classmates.

Better still, remind older kids of how much physical power that have over those who are smaller than them.  Instead of lashing out, report to their teachers when they are wronged or physically abused themselves. Finally, teach the kids the best way of resolving their differences without fighting. Let them know fighting can result in hurting themselves as well.

Ensure a flow of the essentials

In this case, the basic essentials would be enough water supply, as well as proper and sufficient food. How your kids eat today would be of significant impact on their future. So, beyond the basics serious thought should be given to ensure each child has access to healthy foods.   For parents, it starts with healthy lunches.  For schools, it involves being aware of children in school who may not be getting adequate and healthy food at home.  Be aware of deficiency diseases.  Kids should also be taught about how proper diet and nutrition is crucial for their mental and physical growth.

Traffic Safety

Does you school have traffic lights?  Is there a need for hired crossing guards?  Or, will volunteer’s be sufficient?  These are questions schools must access to meet the individual traffic risks within their community. There are plenty of examples of injuries happening because a driver is in a hurry and they simply refuse to slow down. But the treat is not just speeders.  Even a slow speeds, a car can be deadly. Take time to consult with local law enforcement to find the right fit to ensure safety of parents and children alike at all points of the school where pedestrians and cars intersect.

Final Word on Safety

Maintaining kids’ safety should be the topmost priority to both parents and teachers in and out of schools. Therefore, each school must ensure they tolerate zero theft, bullying, violence, and discrimination of kids to enhance their safety.

Besides, parents and teachers must also ensure they help the kids understand their surroundings, provide the essentials like water and food, and provide medications and first aid services. Most importantly, put injury prevention plans in place and ensure protection against unfavorable weather conditions.

Stay Safe!

You might have recently heard about some of the scandalous accusations that have been aimed at TikTok. Their accused lack of respect for peoples’ privacy and for online security has led to people wondering if they are spying and even seen calls for the app to be banned in the USA.

In this guide, we’re looking at some of the reasons why people are so suspicious of TikTok and going in depth on whether or not you should trust this social media giant.

The Basics of TikTok Explained

TikTok is a social media company that is similar in some respects to other visual platforms like Vine and Instagram. It focuses on short, snappy videos. There are effects you can add as well as songs and soundtracks, and these make a lot of the videos perfect for sharing. There are TikTok celebs in the same way that there are YouTube celebs as the younger generation especially become infatuated with the platform.

The TikTok Controversy: Is TikTok Safe?

People suspect that they are less than honest for a few different reasons. The Chinese company that owns TikTok has been accused of working with the Chinese government and the CCP in order to spy on Americans and other nationalities using the app.

Also, TikTok has had a chequered past where 42 million user profiles were exposed in a massive data leak, and because it is quite an open platform it can be abused by some scammers.

Why would TikTok want to steal peoples’ information?

It is hard to know the exact motives, but the accusations of links to spy groups suggest that they could wield some very powerful information. If the TikTok security was breached (something that a lot of people are concerned about) then this information, and the huge amount of data that the app requests to store when you use it, could be utilized for those with sinister intentions.

One of the things that has made people suspicious is the fact that TikTok records so much, including your location and even your device’s keystrokes.

Identity Theft Facts

Did you know that cybersecurity statistics show that nearly 1 in 3 DATA breach victims (30.5%) also suffered from identity fraud In 2013 – up from 22.5% in 2012. And this was years ago, Identity theft has been on the rise ever since, before TikTok was even on the scene. This type of theft is becoming more viable, and more easy to implement for certain criminals and this means that it is growing. Identity theft could well overtake physical forms of theft. People can use your details to borrow money or even to commit crimes, so it is important to be really cautious about what information you make available.

Identity theft can seem like something a bit abstract and like it is not relevant to you, but over 60% of those hit by scams say they have no idea how it happened to them. You can never be too careful as it can happen to anyone out there.

How to protect yourself and your children from Identity Theft

If you are at all worried then you should remember that you don’t have to get a TikTok account, and even if your children are desperate to have one, you might want to discourage this use of social media wherever possible. Though it doesn’t seem fun, it is worth actually reading the privacy policy and terms and conditions of the app. If you aren’t comfortable, steer clear.

If you do create an account, ensure that it is a private account, and see if your device will allow you to stop apps and third parties tracking your use of the device while you use the apps as this can be a way to prevent identity theft and stop loads of details about you and your life from being collected. 

How Safe is TikTok for Kids and Teens?

As with any social media platform, there are certain risks associated with the app that parents should be aware of. One risk includes the potential for exposure to inappropriate content. While it’s true that the app’s official guidelines prohibit illegal or inappropriate content to be shared, it’s worth noting that there aren’t real people managing this process. Instead, TikTok relies on digital algorithms to automatically filter out content that violates the app’s official guidelines. The reality of this is that some illicit content will inevitably fly under the radar and end up on users’ screens.  

Another area of concern is the potential for communication with strangers. With over one billion users on the app, the risk of contact with strangers shouldn’t be ignored. Teens aged 16+ that create an account will have their profile set to public by default, and their account activity is visible to anyone. While accounts made by children between the ages of 13 and 15 are automatically set to private, it’s not hard to bypass this restriction—all they have to do is enter a false birth date when they register for an account. 

While there are many parental controls parents can activate to mitigate many of these risks and create a safer experience for their children who use the app, it’s still important to be educated on the potential dangers that come with any social media platform. Knowing what privacy settings you can manage and taking time to set technology boundaries with your kids are some of the best ways you can ensure your kids are protected on TikTok.

Cyberbullying on TikTok

TikTok has taken steps to combat this issue by implementing reporting mechanisms, content moderation, and algorithmic changes to promote positive interactions. However, parents should be diligent to recognize the signs of cyberbullying to protect their children.

One of the main reasons why cyberbullying thrives on TikTok is the ability to hide behind a screen. Users can create anonymous accounts or use pseudonyms, making it difficult to identify the perpetrators. This anonymity emboldens cyberbullies, allowing them to engage in hurtful behavior that not only affects the victims’ mental and emotional well-being, but it also creates an environment where bullying can persist unchecked.

Because of the viral nature of TikTok’s content, well meaning videos that gain popularity can quickly attract negative attention, leading to a barrage of hurtful comments, insults, and even threats. The comments section, where users can interact and leave their thoughts, can easily become a breeding ground for cyberbullying.

What Will Happen To TikTok?

Nobody has specific proof that TikTok is being used to spy on people or to steal identities. In the world of politics there is plenty of debate about the app and its use as people realize just how much power the owners of the app, ByteDance, who first acquired musically then transformed it into TikTok, could have if they really are tapping into that personal data.

If the claims are valid then it is probably a good idea to come off the app, but also to protect yourself in other ways. You can use identity monitoring services to try and establish whether data about you has leaked or become available on the black market. If some of the claims that have been made about TikTok and the Chinese government links then there is every chance that there will be some really drastic measures taken very soon.

The Future of Tiktok

TikTok seems to be tightening up some of its security.  The recent bad PR has led to the app trying to build confidence from consumers that they are not trying to steal data from people or collude with parties who are less than trustworthy.  It still remains to be seen how safe TikTok can be for kids.

The app could be removed from app stores if it is not up to scratch in terms of its privacy policies, so there are real threats to whether it will continue to exist within the western hemisphere. The threat of this will surely lead to the app becoming more watertight and giving users a lot more security controls. If not, the days of cute cat videos on TikTok could be numbered.