Technology provides many opportunities to share, learn and contribute, especially for our youth. However, with so much power comes the responsibility to use it in the right way. Unfortunately, there are people out there who look for ways to access and take advantage of you and your children's personal information. Informing our youth about proper online safety is the first step in the journey to protecting their identity.
It's important to understand what information should stay private. Be cautious of what your children are posting and where they are posting it.
1. Personal Information: do you have your phone number, home address, family information or pictures of yourself in a public place?
2. Location: can your location be easily identified? How?
3. Privacy Settings: who are you letting view all of your information? Can you limit who views your information with privacy settings?
Phishing is the illegal activity of an individual using a false identity to get your personal information. Many times these attempts are made to look legitimate in order to fool you into providing personal or financial information. Phishing attempts may come in the form of emails, text messages or even a phone call.
Always be cautious of emails/texts/phone calls asking for your private information. There are many ways to combat and protect yourself against phishing!
Check out some examples as well as a few action steps to share with your kids.
Confirm that your home wi-fi network is secure with a password that you and only trusted sources are aware of. Set your digital devices to use your wi-fi network when you are at home for a safe connection.
Keep your personal devices protected with a password as well as anti-virus software. Anything that connects to the internet and that you share personal information through should be kept secure.