What Cybersecurity Basics Should Kids Know?
It seems that today, children are born technologists. They know how to handle smart devices almost naturally, as they have been surrounded by them almost since day one. However, just because they magically know how to open YouTube and play their favorite song doesn’t mean they know nothing about safe online behavior. So, what cybersecurity basics do you need to teach young children to ensure they don’t take risks while browsing the internet? Below, you’ll find important terms and best practices that young Internet users need to know.
What is Cybersecurity?
First, you need to think about how to explain the general term of cybersecurity to new users. As adults, we know that cybersecurity is the practice of protecting our smart devices, networks, and data from unauthorized access. But how does that translate into a language that young people understand? It is best to approach this concept by breaking it down to its simplest meaning. That is, knowing basic cybersecurity best practices helps us protect ourselves in the virtual world. It’s the digital equivalent of installing a strong lock on a door that keeps out strangers.
This is a cybersecurity foundation that can introduce kids to safe online behavior. Let’s explore some concepts and terms that you need to learn.
Cybersecurity Basics: The Best Principles and Practices Kids Should Learn
1. Types of Risks to Children
Before you start teaching kids about the basics of cybersecurity, it’s important to understand the types of threats they should be aware of. There are three categories of danger that children can encounter while online. Let’s see what they are:
- Strangers – First, there are threats related to complete strangers. These are predators who will try to extract sensitive information from children by taking fake IDs or sending them suspicious links.
- Peers – Second, children may become victims of online abuse, or cyberbullying, as it is more commonly known. This situation often occurs between peers, who may be strangers or acquaintances.
- I – Finally, children can be dangerous for themselves, especially if they use the Internet unsupervised for long periods of time. During that time, they can download malicious content or click on dangerous links that can compromise their information.
2. Understanding Personal Information
Children often do not understand the importance of protecting personal or sensitive information. For example, they often don’t know that while sharing your address with your friends at school is fine, you can’t do the same thing online. As the age of children using social media is decreasing, knowing what information can and cannot be shared is very important. Such information includes your full name, home or school address, telephone number, etc. In the case of teenagers, banking information can be added to this list as online shopping begins. Inform children to never share this information on their public profiles, where hackers, identity thieves, or other cybercriminals can access it.
3. Creating Strong Passwords
Children find themselves having to create personal online accounts for social networks, gaming platforms, and more recently, for their schools. So, a basic cybersecurity best practice that kids need to learn is how to protect these accounts from unauthorized access. The first step is to create strong passwords. General guidelines for passwords call for more than 8 characters, including letters, numbers, and symbols. For greater security, passwords (a string of words in the password field) are recommended for added security, as they are long and difficult to decipher. Don’t neglect to advise children to never share their passwords or logins, either online or offline.
4. Detecting Phishing Attempts
Phishing is a tactic often used by cybercriminals to extract personal or financial information from unsuspecting people by pretending to be a trustworthy person or company. It can be through email, text messages, phone calls, or websites, all accessible to children. For example, they may receive an email claiming to have won a prize or threatening to block their account if they do not provide certain information. Teach young Internet users to look for signs of a scam message, such as typos, suspicious language, and password requests. In this way, children will learn to spot phishing attempts and become more vulnerable to them. Additionally, they are more likely to ask a trusted adult for help before clicking on anything.
5. Defining Privacy Settings
Social media platforms, online games, and apps can be much safer for children if they know the basic cybersecurity practice of configuring their privacy settings. Most of these online platforms offer users the ability to control who can see their content. Walk young users through the process of making their accounts private to ensure their posts are only visible to their friends and family and not everyone else. In addition, they should be aware of who is on their contact list. Remind children to only accept friend requests from people they know in real life. This way, their information will not easily fall into the wrong hands.
6. Exit Devices
It is common for children to not understand the importance or concept of logging out of their online accounts. This is especially important as children often use shared devices, either at home or at school. Forgetting to log out can leave their accounts vulnerable to unauthorized access, which can lead to anything from corrupted files to identity theft and stolen credit card information. Therefore, they should always remember to hit “Logout,” especially on shared or public devices, and never check the “Remember me” box. This will ensure that their sensitive information or their parents’ bank details cannot be accessed by anyone other than them.
7. Safe Download Practice
Children are often attracted to new apps, games, and software. But, they don’t always download from trusted sites where the content has been scanned for malware. Searching for their favorite newly released video game can lead them to dodgy websites with malicious links. This can cause children to unknowingly download viruses that can damage not only the device itself but the entire network. Young users should be advised to only download software or games from sites they know and trust, preferably with the help of an adult. In addition, they should be aware of free offers that could hide additional costs or, worse, be a threat to their system.
8. Talking to an Elder You Trust
The last internet safety tip kids should remember is that they don’t know and can’t do it all by themselves. Often times, they may need the help of an adult to confirm that the message they received is genuine or the website they are visiting is trustworthy. Additionally, they may experience online behavior that makes them uncomfortable and need help dealing with it. Therefore, they should have a reliable and knowledgeable person to turn to whenever the need arises. In this way, they will be able to navigate the virtual world responsibly without harming their mental health or risking their safety.
The conclusion
In a world of constant communication, cybersecurity is a necessity for all Internet users, especially young ones. As children grow up in the virtual world, they need to be empowered to navigate safely by following a set of guidelines. In this article, we’ve shared some cybersecurity basics that can be used to enforce responsible and safe behavior online. Be sure to keep communication channels open with children so they feel comfortable asking for help whenever they are unsure about their actions online.
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