The Internet has become one of the pillars of communication today and this forces us to teach them, from a young age, what are the virtues and dangers of the internet, not only because it is an essential tool in their relationship with their social environment, but it constitutes a powerful educational tool and a great opportunity to develop critical thinking. Here are 10 tips on cybersecurity for kids.
But just as in real life, the Internet is also a place where the minor, on his own, can find inappropriate information and, sometimes, connections with bad people can put the kid on danger.
This is why, although it is normal for there to be a logical concern, it would not be a positive attitude to be excessively restrictive in its use by minors, on the contrary, its use should be encouraged in a safe way.
To begin, let’s be clear about two main lines:
- Parents are, at the beginning of their life the only source of information for the toddler, but at the time he or she starts to grow, they are exposed to many different sources of information. Our responsibility is to teach them critical thinking and the ability to understand what is correct and what is not.
- There is a multitude of resources that can help, but they do not replace the education that we can give our children. Those resources cannot cover everything, that’s why we have to learn them so we can teach them.
So, these are 10 tips to increase cybersecurity for kids.
1. Educate
The first line of defense is education, teach your child from the beginning what kinds of hazards she/he will face on the internet, and how to react to them. Never reveal personal information, such as an address, complete name, phone number, school name, places they love to visit, and of course financial information.
2. Browsing habits and their risks.
We must convey to the minor the confidence that he can count on us in case something happens to him that makes him feel uncomfortable online.
3. Teach how to doubt.
We must encourage critical thinking about the information that appears on the network and teach them that not all websites have the same credibility and neither should file from insecure areas nor suspicious emails be downloaded. Not every link or button is safe to click on.
4. Agree on rules of use.
Have an open conversation by telling that on the internet you can find many different kinds of information, most of them very secure but some of them not right for their age.
5. The computer is a common use area.
It will facilitate the supervision of the time of use, which will be able to avoid a probable cyber addiction, such as access control, avoiding a possible cyberbullying. This vigil must also be transferred to the applications of tablets and smartphones: what they do and with whom in them, for example, in the Clash of Royale game that they admit you as a member of the Clan. It can be fun!
6. Educate in privacy.
Explain that personal data is sensitive information and that it can be used against them with examples from everyday life, such as that they would never give the house keys to a stranger.
7. Teach about respect.
That they understand that behind the screen, there are people and that you also have to be courteous and polite with them. What children cannot do at home, they cannot do on the Internet.
8. Use parental control filters.
This will prevent you from accessing pages with inappropriate content (adult, violent, xenophobic, etc.). In the market, there are many solutions that we will talk about soon.
9. Use of security tools.
Antivirus, firewall, and encryption programs are convenient in any case.
10. We can help you.
The main reason why I´ve created this page was that, like you, I was looking for guidance on how to secure the internet for my kid, and in my research, I´ve collected a lot of information that I compile here so you don´t have to spend days and days looking for it (as I did).
If you like this information, you can help me by sharing this article with other people that you think can be interested.
Also, if there is anything you want to said you can leave a comment below this post.
