News Pricer.lt

What is important for parents and children to know in terms of cybersecurity

Что важно знать родителям и детям с точки зрения кибербезопасности

A smartphone is a convenient tool for communication, learning new things and entertainment, which children often get by the time school starts. In addition to the fact that it is important for parents to stay in touch with their child, they are also concerned about various online threats associated with the use of the device. Kaspersky analyzed popular summer applications among children in Belarus, as well as potential threats to children.

Andrey Sidenko, head of online security for children at Kaspersky, reminds us how to set up the gadget and what to tell your child about it before handing it over. Especially if this is their first smartphone.

Make sure your child can do basic things on a smartphone: make calls, send messages, connect to the Internet, take photos, and share geolocation.

Controlling usage time. Most often, a smartphone serves as a tool for entertainment and communication for a child. According to anonymized data from Kaspersky Safe Kids, the most popular applications on mobile devices among children in Belarus in the summer of 2024 were YouTube, TikTok, Roblox, and Telegram. They spent the most time in these applications. Set clear rules: how much time a child can spend with a device. Explain the importance of taking a break from screens and maintaining a balance between digital and real life.

Set up basic security settings. Explain how to set up a PIN code, use a fingerprint, and other ways to unlock the device. Teach your child to create complex and unique passwords for each account: use at least 12 characters, including letters, numbers, and special characters. By the way, at first you can do this together with your child, gradually giving your child more and more freedom in creating passwords for accounts. Be sure to activate the two-factor authentication function in all services where this is possible.

Privacy on social networks. If you create accounts on social networks, discuss privacy settings with your child or set them together. It is important to limit the circle of people who can write to your child or see their pages; explain why you should only add people they know in real life as friends; activate a child mode in those applications where this is possible (for example, such a setting is available on the video hosting YouTube).

Discuss online threats. Talk about the threats that are encountered on the Internet and what to do to avoid them. In addition to inappropriate content, online grooming, and cyberbullying, your child needs to be protected from online fraud. In particular, phishing is very common – when attackers try to trick you into giving away personal information. To do this, they can send phishing emails supposedly on behalf of a popular company or a person known to the recipient, or create fake websites and applications. Even adults fall for the tricks of scammers, and children are even more gullible. Your child should understand that they should not follow suspicious links, including those in emails and instant messengers, enter personal or payment information on dubious resources, or give in to threats and attempts to intimidate. You should also be wary of extremely generous promotions and schemes for "easy money." Warn your child that it is dangerous to publish a lot of personal data on the Internet, such as a phone number or home address, or share your geolocation. All of this can be used by attackers. And most importantly, the child should understand that if he or she encounters a problem, he or she can always ask their parents for help. The ABC of Cybersecurity, created by Kaspersky, can be used as a basis for talking about key concepts in the field of information security.

Use protective technologies. If necessary, install protective solutions, as well as a parental control program that will help monitor your child's activity and protect them from unwanted content. But first, be sure to discuss the installation with your child: tell them what kind of program it is and why you think it is important to install it on their phone.

Special programs for parents help to keep an eye on your child's online activity without imposing total control over them. For example, Kaspersky Safe Kids has functions for blocking access to sites and content that are inappropriate for age, the ability to see the child's geolocation, and also to receive notifications if a user with a large age difference is added to the child on a social network.

News source

Dalintis:
0 0 balsai
Straipsnio vertinimas
guest
0 Komentarai
Seniausi
Naujausi Daugiausiai įvertinti
Inline Feedbacks
Rodyti visus komentarus

Taip pat skaitykite: