Computers are common place in most homes these days and are used by children and adults alike. These days kids tend to grow up with easy access to a computer at their school and in the home and, used in the correct way it can be an excellent tool for learning, as well as being an exciting and fun pastime. However children have to learn that surfing the web is not an entirely innocent pursuit and they need to be aware that their identities are at risk if they are not careful.
As a responsible parent you need to understand the dangers involved in using the internet and set some boundaries for your child to keep them safe. This can be in terms of the number of hours they can use the computer, the web sites that they are allowed to access and what they should be looking to avoid when online. However this is not easy and identity thieves have many ways in which to trick people into giving them information.
The following 8 tips give some details on ways for keeping your kids safe online.
- Inform your children that their personal information is important and that in no way should they release this to anyone on the internet. This includes information such as surname, full address and mobile and landline phone numbers. If you allow them access to social networking sites, make sure profile information is kept to a minimum and that this remains private and not open for anyone to view.
- Make sure that if your child finds a new website that they want to access, that they ask your opinion such that you can view its suitability and ensure it is safe for them, prior to being used. Teach them to ensure that where a lock icon is shown on the browser’s status bar that this is locked before they enter any information.
- Inform your children of the dangers of viruses and spyware, explaining this can cause damage to the computer and can be used to steal personal information stored on your computer. Make sure that they understand that downloading software is especially dangerous for this, even if from a supposedly legitimate site. Make sure they ask permission before downloading any applications or software, so that you can check if it is safe to do so.
- If password protection is available on the sites they use, then make sure they are using this. Show them a sensible and fun way to choose passwords that they will easily remember and are also difficult to guess and therefore provide security. A password combining letters and numbers is preferable and try to make them at least 8 characters long. Also encourage them to periodically change their passwords to make it more difficult for others to find out what they are.
- If your child uses e-mail communication, teach them of the dangers of junk and unsolicited mail that comes to their inbox from an unknown source. They should only open mails from people that they know and trust and that the best thing to do with unknown mails is delete them. Especially warn them of the dangers of opening any attachments in mails from unknown sources, as this can result in viruses or spyware being downloaded to your computer.
- Make sure that you have secure antivirus and antispyware software on your computer and that this is used to regularly and automatically scan your computer for problems. Teach your children how to use the software to scan the computer manually, such that they can use it properly if they identify any problems when using the computer.
- Encourage your child to discuss with you, and their teachers at school, the dangers of identity theft on the internet. Let them know they can approach you whenever required and that you are open to answering any questions they may have on the subject. It is important that they understand the dangers and, for their own safety, that they behave responsibly on the computer. Ensuring they discuss this with you on an ongoing basis is paramount in terms of keeping them safe.
- As a final tip, if you are especially concerned about the dangers of identity theft it may be wise to use identity protection services. If you do this you can monitor your own, as well as your child’s personal information to ensure that there are no problems with this and that your identity details are safe and secure.
Originally posted 2009-10-20 13:02:27.
