10 Ways to Protect Kids Online
Children engage in online shopping, social media, mobile web, and computers just like adults do. Many parents feel a bit overwhelmed by technology and often throw their hands in the air and give up. Unfortunately, that’s not an option. It is essential that parents educate themselves on safe, secure online practices in order to set a positive example and provide guidance for their children as they navigate the web.
Parents who lack experience with the Internet, computers, or mobile phones must learn the basics before they can adequately monitor their children’s habits. A parent’s discomfort or unfamiliarity with technology is no excuse to let a child run wild on the Internet.
As with any task, one should start with the fundamentals. Spend as much time as possible with kids in their online world. Learn about the people with whom they interact, the places they visit, and the information they encounter. Be prepared to respond appropriately, regardless of what sort of content they find. Remember, this is family time.
- Narrow down devices: Many parents set up the family computer in a high-traffic family area, and limit the time children may spend using it. This is still good advice, but it becomes less feasible as more children have their own laptops and mobile phones, which can’t be so easily monitored.
- Recognize predatory behavior: Teach children to recognize inappropriate behavior. Kids will be kids, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to say mean things, send racy pictures, make rude requests, or suggest illegal behavior. If it isn’t okay in the physical world, it isn’t okay on the Internet.
- Use parental controls: Consider investing in computer security software with parental controls, which limit the sites kids can access.
- Discuss right from wrong: Decide exactly what is and is not okay with regards to the kinds of websites kids should visit. This dialogue helps parents and children develop a process for determining appropriate online behavior.
- Clamp down: Children should be restricted to monitored, age-appropriate chat rooms. Spend time with your children to get a feel for the language and discussion occurring on the websites they wish to visit.
- Stay anonymous: Do not allow children to create usernames that reveal their true identities or are provocative.
- Be secretive: Children should be reminded never to reveal passwords, addresses, phone numbers, or other personal information.
- Limit exposure: Kids should not be permitted to post inappropriate photos or photos that may reveal their identities. (For example, a photo in which a t-shirt bears the name of the child’s city or school.)
- No strangers: Never allow a child to meet an online stranger in person.
- No attachments: Children should be taught not to open online attachments from strangers.
_____________________________________
Robert Siciliano, personal security expert contributor to JustAskGemalto.
You may also enjoy reading
-
6 “Red Flags”: Kids’ ID Theft
Stealing a child’s identity is a horrible crime with terrible consequences for the innocent victim. I’ve blogged about the problems caused for children when their SSNs are stolen (“Stealing Children’s SSN and their Identities –Despicable Crimes”) as well as the excellent new Maryland law to help parents protect their children (“Child Identity Lock Bill”). ... Continue Reading
-
Do You Know What Your Teens Are Doing Online?
A new study called “The Digital Divide: How the Online Behavior of Teens is Getting Past Parents” (conducted by Tru Research and commissioned by McAfee) shows an alarming 70% of teens have hidden their online behavior from their parents, up from 45% in 2010. And yet half of parents live under the assumption that their teen tells them everything he/she does online. ... Continue Reading
-
Free Alternatives for Parents to Help Protect Children from ID Theft
Child-related identity theft is one of today’s fastest growing frauds. According to a recent report released by AllclearID, children are 35 times more likely to have their identities stolen than adults. The Federal Trade Commission reports about 8% of people under the age of 18 will have their identities stolen. Thieves are taking advantage of a child’s clean credit report to commit fraud. ... Continue Reading
-
Helpful “Homework” for Parents: FTC’s Guidance on Protecting Your Child’s Information at School
While it doesn’t seem possible, summer is almost over and many kids will be starting back to school soon. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has just posted a very helpful article outlining the steps parents can take to protect their children’s personal information at school. In the article, the FTC summarizes some of the avenues available to parents under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The article identifies two key aspects of FERPA — one, that it protects the privacy of student records and two, that FERPA provides parents of school-age kids with the right to opt out of sharing contact information with third parties. ... Continue Reading
-
Parenting and Social Media Survey Results
In recent years, the mobile platform sought an accelerated expansion of services and popularity, and a quick integration into daily lives. Mobile devices with ‘smart’ capabilities, quietly and swiftly replaced those devices with talk and text-only capabilities. The emergence of mobile applications, GPS capabilities, social networking, multiple emails, online banking, mobile bill paying, etc. intensified the use of the new wave of mobile devices. ... Continue Reading
