Teaching Our Kids About Internet Safety

Now that the our kiddos are in remote learning mode, it’s critical for all of us to up our awareness and knowledge about how to safely use the Internet, and how to avoid cyberbullying and online predators. We’ve all done it before, and we’ll all likely do it again, but online phishing scams and unwittingly putting ourselves at risk for identity theft is also a probability I’m sure we’d all like to avoid too.

According to a 2018 study by Javelin Strategy & Research, children of guardians who educated their children early comprised less than 1% of identity fraud victims in 2017, compared with 3.6% of those with less cautious guardians.

And even though new tech is on the market that makes it easier for parents to put controls in place, nothing is 100%…so it’s important for parents to talk with their children about Internet safety.

Here are some basic guidelines no matter the age of your kiddo (I should credit some of the great online resources that I found available on this subject, but there are too many to list):

• Keep laptops, tablets, and other smart devices in a common family area so children’s Internet use can be supervised.
• Create a list of family rules around Internet use. Young children must ask a parent’s permission before accessing the Internet, for example.
• Caution children never to reveal personal information including passwords, full names, addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, or even where they go to school. Also teach them not to mention when the family is going on a trip, or post photos of themselves on a trip while the family is away.
• Encourage children to come to you if they encounter anything that makes them feel scared or uncomfortable.
• Bookmark favorite or acceptable websites for your children to use.

Along with these basic guidelines, there are specific rules for specific ages that can help you teach your children how to help protect themselves while also teaching them how to be responsible for their actions online.