It’s no surprise that cybersecurity issues have become quite common nowadays. Every day, a new case is reported somewhere around the world. Due to that, online security has become imperative. Not to mention, many people are suffering both emotionally and financially because they neglect online security. Data leaks, phishing scams, and cyber-attacks are some of the problems they go through.
Children these days use the internet a lot. They spend a good part of their day on the internet. Some of them use the internet to get help in their studies while others use it to play video games and watch their favorite movies. Watching movies remains the most common of them all.
So, the question is, how can one ensure online safety for children while they enjoy their favorite movies and shows? The answer to that is pretty simple. Here are a few things that you need to do:
Table of Contents
Educate Them
The first thing that you need to do is educate your child about cybersecurity and why it’s vital. Educate them on what cybersecurity is, why it’s important, the new cybersecurity trends, and the reason behind the alarmingly increasing number of cybersecurity incidents. You must also educate them about how to stay secure online.
When your child knows all the tiny bitsy things about cybersecurity, they remain on the safer side. In other words, when they know about the consequences of not being careful when using the internet and ways to steer clear of cybersecurity attacks, they’ll remain secure. To make it all clearer, you should rely on cybersecurity case studies.
Share a few cybersecurity issues with your children so that they know what’s in store for them if they fail to take these things seriously or are negligent. When it comes to teaching children, practical examples play a huge role.
Make Them Use a VPN
A VPN, aka the virtual private network, is super effective if you want to maintain online security. It works by hiding your IP address and location, leaving hackers unable to trace your online activities or general whereabouts. As you know, hackers rely on your IP address to hack into your device; thus, a VPN always helps.
What you need to do is teach your child about the same and make him or her use a VPN when streaming or watching movies and shows online. The great thing is that using a VPN is legal, so your child is all safe and set to go. Not to mention, you can use one VPN for multiple devices, which means you don’t have to purchase a separate VPN service for your child. If you’ve already purchased one, it will work for all your devices.
Teach Them about Antivirus
Ranking third is an antivirus that always works wonders for online security. Hackers write viruses and create malware all the time to hack into your devices. Once your device is infected, it becomes super simple for the hacker to access your files and all the data present.
Therefore, the smart thing to do here is to take your child’s device and install antivirus software on it. When done, teach your child about it and explain to him/her why an antivirus is important and how it can help you out. On top of that, an antivirus can eliminate the risks of phishing scams. It’s easier for the hacker to scam children and thus, many children fall victim to phishing scams every year.
Of course, adults are pretty careful with spam emails and messages. However, an antivirus can save your child the trouble. In case of a cryptic email or message, the antivirus will filter it out and add it directly to the junk/spam folder. In this way, your child won’t come across it.
Ask Them to Change Passwords Frequently
Kids are generally carefree with passwords and account security. They often forget to change them and that’s what puts them in trouble at the end of the day. Besides that, most children use simple and small passwords so that they can remember them easily. It’s another thing that puts them at risk, opening doors for hackers.
Having a discussion about frequently changing passwords with your children is essential. It is something that can help them stay secure along the way. Also, let them know that using simpler and smaller passwords is a pretty unsafe approach and that setting up complex passwords is the key to online safety.
Ask them to create a mix of digits, special characters, and alphabets, and make sure they change their passwords every month or at least once every other month. Such little steps can go a long way when it comes to online security and avoiding cybersecurity threats.
The Takeaway
Nobody’s stopping your child from enjoying his/her favorite movie but of course, it shouldn’t be at the cost of his/her security. Not to forget, in case of a cybersecurity issue, it won’t only affect your child but you as well. Thus, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
