Cybersecurity expert advice on how to teach your child safe online behavior and use worksheet generator.
When your child was young, you taught him basic safety rules: look around before crossing the road, don’t talk to strangers, don’t touch a hot stove, etc. Now that he’s a teenager, you still care about his safety. But now you are paying attention to other things. For example, if he spends a lot of time on the Internet, you can teach him how to avoid online dangers. And the following tips will help you with this.
1. Avoid online fraud
You might think that your children are too young to be victims of cybercriminals. But cybersecurity experts say that internet scammers want you to think that way. Often, theft of personal data, bank card details, etc. occurs precisely from the accounts of children and adolescents.
Explain to the children how important it is to maintain the privacy of their personal information on the Internet including word scramble. Tell your child that if a name, address, or other personal information is required to register for an online game or social network, they must tell you. Also, install a modern antivirus on your computer – this will protect personal data stored on your computer.
2. Avoid cases of cyberbullying
Experts say cyberbullying (or online bullying) is the most common threat children face online. Children and adolescents who are bullied on the Internet often feel depressed, anxious and isolated from society. Luckily, there are various email and messenger apps (like Block Sender, etc.) that block unwanted messages from people you or your child don’t want to correspond with. The app can also be configured to block messages or emails that contain certain words or phrases. Thus, if someone wants to intimidate your child by sending him messages, the child simply will not see them.
The application also allows you to block letters and messages that come from specific IP addresses. This can be beneficial because if the aggressor does not receive any response from his victim, he can retry from a different account or email address.
3. Do not accidentally download viruses
Children and adolescents are sometimes too naive. They click on advertising links offering a free download of the game or a cash prize. If your child thoughtlessly clicks such links, remind him of the adage that free cheese only happens in a mousetrap. If the child is still young, to understand this, teach him to ask your permission before clicking on links. Explain that this can lead to the infection of your computer with viruses and malware. They can damage your computer. If a child realizes that because of his actions, he and the whole family may be left without a computer, he will behave more judiciously on the Internet.
4. Resist temptation
The Internet is a good source of information and entertainment. But it also has a dark side. To prevent a teenager from visiting sites of questionable content, experts advise placing a computer in a room in which someone is often. Install parental control programs and blockers on your computer to make sure that your child does not visit questionable sites. Talk to your child about the Do’s and Don’ts on the Internet. Together with him discuss the rules of conduct on the Internet and agree that the child will follow them.
Follow these four tips and you can teach your child how to behave more judiciously on the Internet.