Today, on Redhead Mom, I’m sharing a partnered guest post about teaching your children how to stay safe online.
With kids spending more time on their phones and devices than ever, it’s essential that you give them the skills and knowledge to navigate the online world safely. Training them about cybersecurity best practices and responsible internet usage will protect them online.
Check out our strategies and tips to educate your little ones about navigating the web safely.
Open Communication
Honest dialogue with your children can make a big difference. Create an environment where they feel relaxed discussing their online activities and don’t hesitate to tell you about negative experiences.
Teach them to be curious but skeptical and relate it to the real world. Ask them to consider if they would do something that seems dangerous in the real world, like trusting a stranger or taking their advice or information without checking with you, and what makes being behind a screen no different.
They should be able to run to you if they’ve seen or experienced unsettling or confusing content and interactions so you can nip them in the bud and stop them from happening again.
Privacy and Personal Information
Privacy is just as important in the online world as in real life. As kids start using messaging platforms and social media to talk to friends outside of school and play video games, they may start talking to people they haven’t met. Be clear that they shouldn’t share personal information with others or on social media, regardless of the site.
Creating strong passwords is another essential skill for online safety. Teach your kids to avoid easily guessable information like their birthday and instead use a variety of numbers, special characters, and upper and lower-case letters. Writing them down in a physical notepad in their room will help them remember them and make it hard for others to guess.
Inappropriate Content and Parental Controls
The internet has many false, misleading, and adult-only content accessible on your child’s phone and tablet. Setting time limits for online activities can reduce the chance of them stumbling across harmful content. Still, you should also be frank with them about what information they can trust and what can be physiologically harmful.
You can use the parental controls on their devices to set a list of blocked sites and content. Some parental controls also allow you to monitor their activity with real-time location tracking to check their safety.
Safe Browsing Habits
Some websites are less secure than others and may be at a higher risk of data breaches. Teenagers beginning to pay for things online should know how to check if a website is legitimate and safe by looking for the padlock icon in the address bar, their business registration, and reviews.
Using VPN services is especially important when they are on unsecured public Wi-Fi. Explain to them that hackers often lurk on public Wi-FI networks and can infect their devices with malware, steal their login credentials, and intercept their personal messages.