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The Internet is a vast and entertaining place where you connect and share within seconds. Do you have people you want to talk to across the border? No issues, one text, one post, one video, and there you are connected. You can share your daily routine, play games together, and do a lot of stuff just by using the internet and social media. This is what amazes the kids and teens. They are fantasized by the approach of doing anything they can at any time on social media. What they don’t realize is that there are tons of dangers associated with it.
Online dangers are no joke now; there are real threats out there that are causing the people to even lose their lives especially when it is about vulnerable teens. Hackers are trending nowadays and the matters of cybersecurity have taken a new form. Hackers can now even hack Facebook account using URL online and this is dangerous for anyone who is using Facebook. Then, there is a Facebook Messenger hack which is equally dangerous. Kids don’t come to know about it before it happens. That’s why parents must take a few steps for their own and their kids’ cybersecurity.
Wouldn’t it be better if you are already aware of the possible threats that might come along the way and you are ready for it? Yes, that would be great and there are ways in which you can make it possible. You can take a few steps to make sure your kids are safe online and the hackers don’t catch them. Here are the tips:
By default, most social media platforms don’t care about hiding the personal information of the users. Everything people post or share is visible for the whole world to see including birthdays, phone numbers, and even addresses. So, rather than hoping for social media not to share your information, tell your kids not to enter this much detailed information on their social media account. There is no need for it and they should know that not every information is meant to be made public. You can review their privacy policies with them to make sure they are doing it right.
Everything that your kid is posting online and sharing can be shared further and used by the public for any reason. There might be some wrong eyes on your account waiting for using your posts to humiliate you. So, it is better to teach them about it rather than saying anything online. Tell them that they must not everything that comes to their mind, they must think about it hundreds of times because it is going to be public and anyone can use it for any ill purpose. Children are being cyberbullied due to these reasons. But, they must be encouraged to talk to you at any stage.
If you have allowed them to make purchases online, you must tell them about identity theft issues. When they are using credit card information, they must be aware of the ways hackers can get to them. They must monitor their online banking to see if any unauthorized purchases are being made against their names and cards. Remind them that they must never share this information with the strangers as such information sharing can cost them must more.
Well, we always teach our kids not to take candies from strangers, the same goes for online scammers. They will come across plenty of glittery offers and tempting ads but that’s all scam. Kids don’t realize that and they don’t even take a moment before clicking on it, and then they find themselves indulged in scams. Through these ads, the scammers try to steal children’s information and use them for their protection. These hackers try to scam the children in different ways because they know the tactics to get to the kids these days. So, teach your kids about these things too.
If you have left them on social media to explore things on their own, you are gravely mistaken. You must follow them on all the social media platforms that they are using so that you can see what they are posting, how they are behaving. Further, it makes them believe that you are there with them on every platform and you are not from some backward generation. Once they know you are with them on social media, you will be able to talk to them through transparency about the things that are not right on their account.
Yes, it is very much necessary to use parental control software to monitor their activities. There are many big threats out there that can’t be monitored by just looking at their accounts. Using a good parental control app like SecureTeen can help you a lot in ensuring kids’ safety even against the hackers who hack Facebook account using URL online. You can easily monitor these things and get back to your kids in a better way. So, using a parental control app is in no way harmful for the kids or yourself instead it opens up the ways to safety.
The key to a better understanding of your actions and instincts is to talk to them. You can’t just impose rules on them and think that they will follow and understand the reasons. You must communicate with them in the ways that they feel important and valued. They must think that you are respecting their right to give an opinion and doing everything for their safety. This is how the kids will know that they can come to you whenever it feels like they are in trouble.
Here is a complete parent’s guide to Cybersecurity to learn and know how you can keep your kids safe. Don’t forget to get them on board once you start getting worried.