Category: Safety | Internet Security

It’s not uncommon but it has become a significant challenge for parents to maintain a healthy balance between managing screen time and encouraging real-time experiences for their children. Technology has become an integral part of our everyday lives, and there’s just no way around it.

The key to navigating this challenge is to balance using technology and engaging in activities like playing sports, playing outside with other kids, etc. While today’s tech has numerous benefits for parents and children alike, it also brings complex challenges that parents must navigate effectively to ensure a healthy upbringing for their children.

Here we will do our best to discuss some of the biggest challenges parents have to encounter when it comes to raising their children.  We’ll explore what steps they can take to navigate these complex challenges to ensure that their children don’t get sucked into technology at the expense of having a healthy balanced childhood.  One where they are fully engaged in regular activities with personal interactions with others.

What Are Some Of The Challenges Parents Face In The Digital Age?

Parenting in the age of screens presents several challenges that parents must navigate to encourage healthy development in their children. Here are some of the key challenges:

1) Screen Time Addiction

Children can become addicted to screens, and they spend many hours on their devices.  Whether it’s for entertainment or scrolling  social media, sleep can be negatively impacted.  Physical activity and real-time interactions with other people can suffer. It can become a challenge for parents to set screen time limits, especially since screens are ubiquitous and they need their devices for online education.

2) Negative Impacts On Children’s Health

When children have excessive screen time, they’re living a sedentary lifestyle, which has highly negative consequences for their health. It can also contribute to health issues like obesity since they’re sitting most of the day and not engaging in any physical activities. Excessive screen use can also contribute to eye strain, especially if they use devices close to bedtime. Increased time in front of a screen also means more exposure to content that can effect their overall well-being, such as social pressures.

3) Exposure To Inappropriate Content

If kids are left unsupervised with too much screen time, they can be exposed to harmful and inappropriate online content. This can involve cyberbullying, explicit content, and unsafe websites. When kids use screens most of the time, it can hinder the development of their social skills, as children have virtually no face-to-face interactions. Children can also be vulnerable to online predators, and parents need to educate their children about online safety and establish guidelines when sharing personal information.

4) Impact On Mental Health

Excessive screen time on social media has been linked to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and lack of self-esteem. Exposure to curated and idealized online lives and influencers can create unhealthy comparisons. Some children will focus on promoting their own online image and become obsessive about it.  Others will try to engage to feel better about themselves and this can open the door to cyberbullying for being different.

5) Online Education Challenges

While many educational apps and websites aid in students’ learning, ensuring the content is quality and aligns with educational goals can be challenging. Screens can be a considerable distraction to learning. It becomes too easy for a child’s attention to be diverted away by social media and games.  This results in children cannot fully focus on their studies.  Students can become master or multitasking on multiple online activities, but this should not be seen as a strength. Kids need to learn how to focus on a specific task at hand.

6) Virtual Friendships vs Local Friends

Many children form friendships online with peers they’ve never met in person. These happen naturally through online games, social media, or chat platforms. While these connections offer a sense of belonging, they may come at the expense of building local, in-person relationships. It can become too easy for a child to focus on their virtual friends and miss out on learning lifelong skills of getting to know new people in various walks of life.   It also results in more screen time when they could be offline developing real-world friendships.

How Can Parents Tackle These Challenges Head On?

Addressing the challenges mentioned above requires a combination of parental guidance, promoting digital literacy, and setting boundaries.  It entails creating a healthy balance between screen time and playful activities. Parents must stay updated with the latest technological trends and be actively involved in digital lives of their children. So, how can parents navigate these challenges to enhance the well-being of their children? Let’s find out.

1) Encourage Physical Activities

The first thing parents need to do is encourage physical activities and more outdoor activities in their children. Sitting at home with their noses buried in screens all day is never a good thing. Physical activity is critical for the child’s development and necessary for the healthy growth of their muscles and bones. It’s also feeds their brains with oxygen and healthy endorphins that promote a positive response to repeating health behaviors.

2) Establishing Tech-Free Zones

Parents should make a rule that certain areas in the house will be designated as tech-free zones. Bedrooms can be screen-free zone, especially at bedtime. Establishing tech-free times during mealtime promotes family bonding and encourages conversation and mindfulness while eating.  Encourage activities outdoors without a phone in their pocket that will continually draw them to look at it.

3) Use Parental Control Software

Parents need to establish strict parental controls for protecting Kids online privacy. By installing parental controls and monitoring tools to restrict access to inappropriate content, children can be saved from being exposed to explicit and unsuitable content at a young age. There are multiple parental control apps that you can choose from. Google, for example, has Family Link, which helps families create healthy and positive digital habits. They can better understand how their child spends time on their device, share their location, and manage privacy settings.

4) Teaching Digital Literacy To Kids

Parents should educate their children about online safety, privacy, and the potential risks of sharing personal and confidential information online. They should foster critical thinking skills in their children so that they can evaluate the reliability and credibility of information that gets shared online.

5) Setting Healthy Screen Time Limits For Children

Establishing screen time limits for children to ensure their well-being and development is essential. Develop these guidelines with your children and involve them in the decision-making process. Kids of all ages should be regularly guided towards screen free activities for a balanced life.

For infants under 18 months old, it’s best to avoid screens entirely unless you’re on video calls with friends or family and they want to see them. Parents can introduce limited screen time between 18 and 24 months, but only if they actively engage with the child. From ages 2-5, they can have screen time for less than one hour per day, given that the parent or caregiver is co-viewing with them.

6) Modeling Healthy Screen Habits

Children follow by example and what their parents model for them. Demonstrating responsible screen time usage sets a strong example. Be mindful of your screen time and teach your children that their devices are practical tools for education, entertainment, and learning, but all in moderation. It would help if you engage your children in a discussion about the negative implications of using devices on their well-being and development.

Create an open and non-judgmental space for your children so they can come to you if they have any concerns about the online world. Encourage them to come to you immediately if they encounter anything that makes them uncomfortable online or have concerns regarding any online content they saw.

Conclusion

Parenting in the digital age is a mix of benefits and downsides with many nuances.  While technology offers convenience, like entertainment and other educational tools, it also provides challenges when it comes to ensuring that children can have a normal childhood, not filled with technology and an overabundance of screens.

There are ways that parents can tackle these issues to ensure that their kids can strike a healthy balance between using screens and engaging in healthy activities, which includes playing outside and having real-time interactions to boost their social skills. This guide lays down the most effective steps to help children move away from screens and engage with the real world. A healthy balance and moderation is all you need.

Manipulation is an art of dark psychology that compels the victim to do what the manipulator wants. Just like the devil enticed Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, hackers these days manipulate innocent and vulnerable people to share private information that they can use for false purposes – the consequences can be frightening.

The Shadow Behind Technology!

We all live a digital life, sharing pictures, check-ins, and even posting daily routines online. To some, these are just casual social media activities, but there is a very dark side of digital footprints everyone should know about.

Hackers are all around the internet, tricking individuals and ventures through social engineering. The term social engineering is used to describe manipulative actions that result in personal or corporate security breaches. Thankfully, services such as VPN servers in Canada can help you protect your private information and secure your digital footprints.

But before everything, you should know how hackers manipulate you to trust you, their tactics, and tricks so it becomes easy to identify a cyber-criminal.

Read along because we are going to mention some effective cybersecurity tricks in the later section.

Table of Contents

Part 1: How Cyber Criminals Manipulate Your Trust?

• Phishing
• Baiting
• Tailgating
• Pretexting
• Catfishing

Part 2: How to Identify a Hacking Attack?

• Urgency
• Scarcity
• Authority
• Fear
• Familiarity

Part 3: How to Outsmart Hackers? Effective Cyber Security Tricks?

• Always Use a VPN
• Avoid Clicking on Links & Popups
• Install an Anti Malware Software
• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication
• Stay Alert

Final Words

Part 1: How Cyber Criminals Manipulate Your Trust?

There are around 2,200 cyberattacks per day, which might mean that over 800,000 people are hacked yearly. Most people think a hacking attempt would be like opening up uncontrollable windows or popups on screen, which is untrue. Scareware was primarily used in past times to scare the victim by indicating harmful viruses on the device, making the victim install the suggested software (which contains the virus).

Hackers these days have become smart, just like modern technology. Instead of sending an obvious malicious bug, hackers play psychologically and discreetly through social engineering.

Social engineering attacks psychologically manipulate the victim and exploit trust, vulnerabilities, fear, or greed.

Hackers can befriend you online or scam you through a malicious bug (that doesn’t like a virus).

Here are some tricks hackers use to manipulate people’s trust;

Phishing:

Have you ever received an email promising a big prize by clicking on a link? Most of us have been in a situation where we get a popup on our screen or a message pretending to be a legitimate source offering something big. Beware, it’s a phishing scam. As per a study, by 2023, it is predicted that over 33 million data would be stolen, with a ransomware or phishing assault occurring every 11 seconds.

Phishing is a fraudulent act in which a cybercriminal tricks the victim into opening a virus-containing link or downloading a bugged file. It’s all intimidating and inviting.

Then comes spear phishing, which has the same motive, but hackers target specific persons or workplaces instead of randomly attacking.

Baiting:

Just like phishing, baiting is manipulating someone to do an action. Digitally, baiting involves sending free coupons, significant discounts, or grand offers to a targeted person so that they can click on the vicious file and the hackers can breach into their device.

Tailgating:

Instead of targeting the victim online, tailgating involves tracking someone physically following them to their house or workplace. The attacker pretends to be a technician, delivery guy, or someone else to access the victim’s home or office. Tailgating can result in violent attempts.

Pretexting:

Cybercriminals sometimes mask themselves as fake people to gain the victim’s trust. They may create fake profiles as a bank officer, colleague, or so to contact and gain confidential information. Pretexting false scenarios often tricks the victim and helps hackers in their malicious mission.

Catfishing:

One of the most happening online crimes is catfishing. Cybercriminals make fake profiles of someone you know to maintain contact with you. They befriend their victims and indulge them in inappropriate activities. The victim does everything out of trust and does not know they are being used.

Part 2: How to Identify a Hacking Attack?

Every crime has a motive, and in the case of hacking, the perpetrator is usually looking for monetary benefits. If not, they want to ruin the target’s reputation or spy on them.

Identifying a hacker is simple, but you have to be alert. You must be vigilant of your actions whenever you encounter the following scenarios in an online message, email, or conversation.

Urgency:

Hackers create urgency to provoke actions. They may tell you that your account will expire soon or that an urgent situation must be tackled. Research shows that urgency has a 332% higher conversion potential. That is why hackers use urgency as bait.

Scarcity:

Just like urgency, scarcity also intimidates people to take quick action. Hackers create a scenario of scarcity by offering limited-time discount coupons with only a few minutes to expire. Users take quick action and fall into the trap.

Authority:

This trick is used in pretexting, where hackers pretend to be someone related to official authorities and ask for confidential information.

Fear:

A cybercriminal directly or indirectly creates a sense of fear among its victims, urging them to act impulsively. They may threaten the victim by telling them there is a virus on their device or can blackmail the victim straightforwardly.

Familiarity:

Most hackers gain the trust of their victims by familiarization. It means that they pretend to be someone from their victim’s circle, perhaps an old friend or long-distance relative, to gain trust and exploit it afterward.

Now that you have read all the tricks and tactics a hacker might use on you or your loved ones, let’s jump to the next section, explaining how to outsmart hackers.

Part 3: How to Outsmart Hackers? Effective Cyber Security Tricks?

Cybercriminals manipulate human feelings to the extent that the victim impulsively falls into their trap. Educating yourself and your family, friends, and colleagues about digital etiquette is essential.

Here are some security tricks you can use to outsmart hackers.

Always Use a VPN:

A hacker wants to get into your device to fetch all the details stored on it. A good VPN connection creates a firewall around your network and hides your IP address. The Virtual Private Network secures your IP address and offers high encryption, making it difficult for hackers to intercept your confidential details.

Avoid Clicking on Links & Popups:

Staying vigilant is the first rule to protect yourself from hacking attacks. Try not to click on random URLs or pop-ups because they offer something promising. Remember, all that glitters is not gold.

Install an Anti Malware Software:

It would be best if you did not trust anyone online. That’s why you always have authentic anti-malware installed on your device as a second line of defense. So, in case you download a malicious file online, the malware will instantly detect it and help you remove it from your system.

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication:

2FA or multi-factor authentication is the best way to secure your devices and accounts. Suppose a hacker has gained access to your bank account; in that case, if the 2FA is enabled, you can get the verification code on your phone, and the hacker can’t get into your account unless they have the OTP. Clever, isn’t it?

Stay Alert:

Never fall for tempting online offers, discounts, and free trials, as they are all traps to lure confidential details. Say no to offers displaying urgency, scarcity, or anything mentioned above.

The Final Words:

Hackers’ manipulating techniques are getting more sophisticated with time. As people become more informed of the possible online risks, manipulation tricks become more realistic. That is why it is essential to outsmart hackers. Stay one step ahead of them and protect yourself, your family, and your workplace from hacking attacks.

Start by installing a secure VPN connection and follow all the cyber security tricks mentioned above. Stay attentive, stay informed.

Author Bio:Hadiya has expert-level knowledge about cyber security solutions as she has been writing online safety guides for more than 5 years. Her goal is to educate her readers about online safety in the best and the easiest way possible. Follow Hadiya on LinkedIn

In our contemporary hyper-connected world, the internet reigns supreme, permeating every aspect of our lives. With this ever-growing dependence, safeguarding our online activities has evolved into a critical endeavor, for lurking within the digital shadows lie a myriad of cyber threats and cunning hackers, poised to exploit our vulnerabilities.

Hence, a paramount solution emerges in the form of a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a digital sentinel that fortifies your digital fortress, protecting sensitive data and personal information with an impenetrable shield. In this discourse, we embark on a profound exploration of the indispensable role of VPNs, unveiling the reason behind their ubiquitous adoption in this era of data breaches and cyber vulnerabilities.

Enter the Cryptic Gateway: VPNs as Digital Guardians

Imagine, if you will, your data as a trove of precious gems, a treasure chest teeming with valuable insights into your identity, financial transactions, and private communications. Now, envision this chest traversing a perilous tunnel known as the internet, exposed to the nefarious intentions of potential thieves and eavesdroppers lurking at every digital turn. Enter the VPN, the valiant guardian of your digital treasure chest.

Once you initiate the VPN download and activate its service, behold the birth of a secure encrypted tunnel that unites your device with the VPN server. Through this conduit flows all your online activities, from web browsing to file transfers and communications, now rendered indecipherable to any prying eyes attempting to intercept them. This encrypted data transforms into an enigmatic code, defying the relentless efforts of hackers, government agencies, or malicious entities seeking to unveil your personal information. With this digital sanctuary in place, you traverse the vast internet landscape with renewed confidence, assured that your data remains sheltered from the malevolent gaze of cyber predators.

The Dance of Identity on Public Wi-Fi: The VPN Enigma

Life on the go often demands connectivity, and in the embrace of public Wi-Fi networks, we find respite. Alas, this convenience is a double-edged sword, as these open networks breed vulnerability, a paradise for opportunistic hackers with malicious intent.

With the VPN draped around your device like an invisible cloak, you become invulnerable to the perils of public Wi-Fi. Connecting to these networks with the VPN activated enshrouds all your data in a cocoon of encryption, rendering it impervious to the prying claws of hackers. Your identity remains concealed, and your personal data embraces an impenetrable stronghold, evading the clutches of cyber assailants.

Beyond Borders: The VPN Key to Digital Freedom

The internet, a tapestry connecting souls across borders, yet not all threads are woven equal. Certain digital territories bar access to coveted content and websites based on your geographical location. The frustration sets in while you wander, yearning to indulge in your favorite streaming services, social media platforms, or reliable news websites, only to discover their virtual doors bolted shut in your present region.

Fear not, for the VPN brandishes the key to unlock the gateways of the internet, transcending territorial boundaries. By tethering to a VPN server in a distant land, your true location takes on a mirage-like quality, seamlessly assimilating with the server’s location. Behold, you gain passage to restricted content, evading the censor’s gaze and savoring an unbridled internet experience.

The Enigmatic Veil of Privacy and Anonymity

In an era when data breaches and privacy transgressions have become commonplace, safeguarding online privacy and anonymity emerges as a burgeoning concern. ISPs, advertisers, and certain websites stalk your digital footprints, constructing user profiles to bombard you with targeted advertisements. Meanwhile, governmental and surveillance agencies lurk in the digital shadows, keenly observing internet traffic for undisclosed purposes.

Fear not, for the VPN drapes you in an enigmatic veil of anonymity, concealing your digital visage from prying eyes. Through IP address obfuscation and traffic rerouting, your online activities become shrouded in secrecy, impenetrable to third-party surveillance. Even your ISP remains blind to your internet sojourns, preserving the sanctity of your digital existence.

The Cyber Enigma: A Shield Against Threats

In the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats, malevolent forces deploy ingenious tactics to breach personal data and pry into sensitive information. Phishing attacks, malware invasions, ransomware assaults, and menacing man-in-the-middle schemes prowl the digital terrain, ready to ensnare the unwary.

Yet, the VPN emerges as the stalwart shield against these digital perils. The encryption it bestows upon your data during transmission thwarts the schemes of hackers, rendering their efforts futile. Moreover, with additional security features such as ad blockers, malware scanners, and kill switches, the VPN fortifies your cyber ramparts, staving off the malevolent tide.

Epilogue: A Digital Odyssey of Protection

In an age where our destinies intertwine irrevocably with the digital realm, ensuring the security of our online activities metamorphoses into an inescapable duty. Embrace the VPN download, for it wields the power to encrypt your data, shield your identity in public Wi-Fi realms, traverse geographical boundaries, safeguard your privacy, and deter cyber threats. An indomitable ally in this technological saga, a reputable VPN service beckons, a beacon of hope to fortify your digital existence and protect the essence of your online being.

Running a business isn’t easy. If you are planning on starting your own or you’re already in charge of one, then you need to make sure that you take care of yourself online. Unfortunately, cybercrime has never been more common. Business owners who do not protect themselves leave themselves open to fraud.

If your business becomes the victim of fraud, then it could negatively impact your reputation and could get you in trouble with your industry regulator. Proactive IT support and maintenance is without a doubt the best way of keeping your business safe and secure online. This post will tell you about the benefits of it.

Complete and Total IT Support

Let’s be honest: the internet is a dangerous place. People are scammed and hacked on a daily basis. Taking a look at nTrust’s UK wide services make it clear that by hiring an IT support and maintenance company, you won’t ever have to worry about becoming a victim of cybercrime ever again. You are given complete and total protection, no questions asked. If you have any emergencies or concerns your support team will be there to help you at a moment’s notice.

A trained team of IT security experts will be able to identify, detect and deter all attempts at fraud. Their expertise is something you will not be able to gain yourself. Reliable IT security services ensure your business is protected from threats that could compromise your sensitive data and operations. By hiring a team of experts to protect you, you can focus on more important things like making sales and marketing.

Deterring Future Hacking Attempts

When you have an IT company protecting your business, you also benefit from the fact that criminals will be less inclined to try and hack and steal money from your business. Businesses that are unprotected are targeted by criminals because criminals share information about them and word spreads.

When you are looking for a security company to protect your business you need to make sure that you find one that is qualified and has enough experience to protect you completely. A good way of telling whether or not a company is worth working with is by reading his reviews.

Lots of companies do not have reviews nowadays and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes a company with no reviews simply is not annoying its customers. People only tend to leave reviews when they have had a negative experience. Positive reviews are good though.

General IT Support

One of the very best things about hiring an IT support company to work with your business is that in addition to providing security services, they can also help you with other routine IT problems.

Obviously, if you do intend on hiring an IT security company to work with your business and you are going to want them to help you with other IT-related issues then you need to make sure that you tell them this from the very beginning. If you do not, then there is a chance they can refuse as additional work might not be included as part of their contract.

You will not have to pay much for extra coverage and services as long as you make your needs clear from the beginning.

You need to keep your business secure and safe from criminals. You can do that by following this post’s guidance and advice and implementing it into your company’s online security strategy.