Introduction
While the internet can be quite resourceful, it exposes young kids to many cybersecurity threats, from phishing attacks to highly sophisticated hacks and cyberbullying. Think of it as a double-edged sword that cuts both ways.
With more kids on the internet, there’s a growing need for effective cybersecurity measures. Since kids are not well-versed with cybersecurity measures, their safety lies in the hands of those who are experienced in cybersecurity.
We are talking about parents, guardians, and other cybersecurity experts, so you need to be equipped with this information.
To save you from the trouble of digging all that information on your own, we’ve compiled a guide on how to keep your kids safe online. Let’s dive in.
How to keep the young ones safe online
1. Secure any network that’s frequently used by kids
Make your home network more secure by capitalizing on the functionalities of an effective firewall.
Developed to manage outgoing and incoming online traffic, a firewall filters any suspicious traffic that might be channeled to your home network, safeguarding kids from malicious attacks.
As a result, it becomes quite hard for hackers and other intruders to penetrate your network. And some of the most effective firewalls for home networks are the next-generation firewalls.
Well, such firewalls are effective in detecting sophisticated malware, blocking malicious URLs, and inspecting data transmitted from various sources.
2. Come up with rules for browsing the internet
While cybersecurity tools such as firewalls can filter out malicious traffic, they can only do so much, especially when it comes to protecting kids from highly engineered threats.
With that said, it’s quite crucial to set ground rules that will guide your kids as they are accessing different sites. For example, you can mention the apps that they are allowed to access, such as Duolingo, YouTube, you name it.
Apart from that, you can also come up with rules, which are centered around information sharing. List the personal details that shouldn’t be put out there on the internet, such as the credit card number, personal name, school name, and home address.
3. Give young ones some insight into the basics of cybersecurity
There’s a lot of social engineering out there on the internet, and kids are falling victim to these schemes.
Since you won’t be there to hold your kids’ hands every time, you need to teach them a few cybersecurity basics to save them from such schemes.
You can start off by explaining how social engineering works. Next, show them how to spot a fake webpage from a real one. And don’t forget to teach your kids how to deal with mean comments coming from cyberbullies.
Remember to give them some insight into the smartest moves to make whenever they find themselves in such situations.
It’s also good practice to enlighten young ones about passwords by showing them how to come up with strong passwords that can’t be easily cracked.
A good rule of thumb is to always create a password with around 12 – 14 characters, including uppercase letters and special characters.
4. Use privacy settings that are ideal for kids
Since social media apps contain a lot of content that is not suitable for kids, you need to filter out such content with different settings.
And the good thing is this — many social media apps have settings for blocking out any harmful content that might be detrimental to kids. So, before you give your kids the go-ahead to use some applications, you need to tweak some settings first.
If you’re using the same device to access the same apps, you should create separate accounts for your kid — most apps have this feature.
For instance, Netflix lets you create a separate account for your kids.
Additionally, YouTube has a minisite, popularly known as YouTube Kids, that specializes in kid’s content.
5. Install parental control applications on your devices
There is a high chance that kids might try to access some restricted websites and content, especially if they have a high curiosity level. With parental control applications, it becomes easier to keep track of your kids’ online activities.
Such applications will give you more insight into the website that your kids are visiting. Besides that, you’ll also know the amount of time that your kids are spending online.
Speaking of which, parental control applications can help you set a screen time limit, making it easier for you to control the amount of time that your kids spend online.
Besides that, such applications are quite effective in blocking sensitive content that might not be suitable for kids.
However, before you install such applications on your devices, you need to have a discussion with your kids and explain why you are installing such programs. This will lower their guard — they won’t perceive such actions as a threat.
Place all devices in a central location, where kids can browse from
By keeping your devices in a central location such as the living room, you can easily monitor your kids’ behavior.
In case something bad happens as they are browsing, they’ll turn to you for some help. You can also tell whether they are in distress, when they are closer to you, by analyzing their facial expressions and gestures.
For those who might forget to limit the screen time with a parental app, having your kids close could also come in handy. For starters, you can easily remind kids about their sleep time — a smart way of keeping them from the internet, after a certain time limit.
Moreover, kids are less likely to turn off parental settings when they’re browsing from a centralized location like the lounge. However, in confined spaces, they might not take the high road.
Over to you
And there you have it, everything you need to know to keep your kids safe online.
When it comes to safeguarding kids who are 5 – 12 years old, you don’t need to be so tech-savvy with cybersecurity measures!
If you keep things simple and clear, you’ll be good to go!
You can start off by installing an effective firewall that keeps your network secure. Afterward, enlighten your kids about different cybersecurity threats and how to handle them. Also, don’t forget to come up with ground rules that will guide them as they are browsing.
You should revise these measures as your kids get older — before they get into teenagehood.
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