Is Your Teenager Cyber-smart?
With kids back in school, an influx of new social trends are imminent. It is essential to discuss the skills to safely navigate new technologies to ensure your teen understands the right and wrong ways to stay safe online.
By fostering open communication, educating them about online threats and implementing cybersecurity best practices, you can help keep your teens cyber secure. Encourage teens to participate in offline activities, hobbies and social interactions to develop a well-rounded and healthy lifestyle.
We’re in the Digital Age
Those that make up our adolescent population have encountered technology since birth. They don’t know a world without it. We laugh at how toddlers can quickly swipe through photos and navigate to the video they want to watch on a smartphone. It’s second nature for children to conversate with devices like telling the remote to turn on Bluey (better make sure your Alexa settings are set so you won’t end up with a plethora of pop-it fidget toys arriving at your front door!).
With each new technology learned, measures must be taken to ensure your teen knows the dos and don’ts of keeping them safe online. Read on to explore effective strategies to keep your teens cyber secure:
Practice Open Communication
Encourage your teens to come talk with you if they ever have any concerns about what is going on with any suspicious activity or cyberbullying they may encounter. Never judge and always be there with an open mind.
Educate about Online Threats
Phishing scams are everywhere lately, and your teens may not know how to navigate them. Make sure they know not to share any personal information or click on any links, even if they look legit. Strangers are always looking to take advantage of kids and teens. Ensure your child is aware of these bad actors.
Strong and Unique Passwords
Instruct your teens to create strong, unique passwords for each online account they use. Tell them to think of different passwords for each site they are on and use a password manager, like 1Password or BitWarden to help them manage them.
