Young people typically prefer social media and online games like those found on social networks such as YouTube and TikTok; there is an increasing amount of content specifically targeted towards this age range, from videos geared toward younger children through to teenage-oriented apps and communities aimed specifically at them. As with every aspect of their life, family involvement plays an influential role when it comes to digital education - therefore parental support throughout this journey is essential.
What are the main risks children are exposed to?
Inappropriate content
Children may encounter inappropriate content, such as pornography, violence or hate messages, which can be detrimental to their emotional and psychological development.
Cyberbullying
The vast majority (90%) of teens agree that cyber bullying a problem, and 63% believe this is a serious problem. Nearly half (47%) of all young people have been the victims of cyber bullying.
Contact with strangers
Children may be contacted by strangers online who try to gain their trust to manipulate them.
Disclosure of personal information
Children may unwittingly reveal personal information online, such as their address, phone number or details about their life, making them vulnerable to identity theft.
Digital addiction
Excessive use of digital devices and social networks can lead to digital addiction, which negatively affects their physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being.
Online fraud
Children can be tricked by online scams, such as bogus offers, fraudulent sweepstakes, or fake donation requests, which can result in the loss of money or disclosure of personal information.
Create strong passwords or passphrases:
It is essential to keep passwords confidential, as sharing passwords can put personal data, identity, and device security at serious risk.
While children may be inclined to exchange passwords with their friends, it is essential that they understand that this behaviour is not safe in the digital world.
Keep devices and software up to date:
The number of published vulnerabilities is on the rise. ASD has reported a 50 per cent increase in vulnerabilities since 2021. Cybercriminals hack devices by using known weaknesses in systems or applications. Updates from app and software providers have security upgrades that fix these weaknesses.
Parental controls:
Parental controls protect our children on TVs, computers, video games, smartphones, and apps. They allow parents to limit the content their children can access.
Disable geolocation:
Geolocation services are useful for keeping an eye on your children but be careful: some apps may trade location information or exploit it for profit. Investigate what kind of data they collect and be sure to turn on the appropriate security and privacy features.
Sharing family devices:
Letting a child use your device without security measures can put your family at risk. Ensure to clear your browser history often, to limit access to your accounts and private data. Do not share your passwords and PINs with your children. This will ensure that they ask before using your device or going online.
What if we run into a problem?
Keep calm. It is normal to be afraid of the possible consequences of online problems, but we must be aware that in these moments, children need our support, security, and trust.
Save evidence. It is advisable not to impulsively delete evidence of the conflict or problem, such as images, messages, social media profiles or websites, without consulting a specialised service. In fact, it may be useful to take screenshots to help solve the case or clarify what happened, if they are subsequently deleted.
Seek information and contact a professional. There are many help services. All social networks, games and most websites have help and security and technical support centres, which allow us to contact administrators, report a problem or resolve a conflict.
To wrap up
Internet safety for young people is a growing concern. It is essential that both parents and educational institutions implement effective measures to protect young people while surfing the Internet.
At CNS we have a proactive approach to implementing cybersecurity solutions. We invite you to review our case studies on our website, or contact us at sales@cnsau.com to discuss how we can help you improve your cybersecurity, no matter how big or small your organisation is.
Stay tuned for our next blog in this series, all about BYOD policies and keeping kids safe with managed devices.
As certified IT security experts, we can help you fortify your defences, uphold regulatory compliance, improve your company's security posture and proactively maintain your servers and networks to protect you from evolving cyber risks.
Alejandro Andres Roig
