It almost seems unbelievable once someone takes the time to consider everything that can happen or be carried out just by sitting in front of the computer these days. Did you know that something as regular and seemingly harmless as a Facebook post or a search on Google can put people in jail? Read about it on Secure Data Recovery to know what exactly we are talking about here and how to prevent it. As you can imagine, or probably already know, this puts children in even more danger than adults because they are less informed and often more impulsive. To help keep your children and your family safe on the internet, here are three things that every parent must teach their children to never do online.
Sharing Personal Information
Cyber criminals are always trying to acquire personal information from computers in any way that they can and children are usually easy targets. Discuss the following scenarios and explain why it’s always a bad idea to share personal info with anyone on the internet:
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Social media posts and location tags allow strangers to know exactly when and where their targets are.
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Sexual predators often make fake accounts to chat with teenagers and young adults via social media channels.
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Everything from photos to any financial details can be stolen and misused when shared
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No private photos or documents of a sensitive nature should ever be shared with anyone via the internet.
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Any email/message that promises monetary or some other form of prize and asks for personal info should be deleted immediately.
Downloading Shady Applications
While the App Store and the Android Play Store are a lot more secure than they used to be, a few shady apps and malware still pop up every now and then. They can potentially steal financial and personal data, typing information, and may even allow remote access to hackers sitting halfway across the world. As a rule of thumb, make it mandatory for them to only download applications from reputed and trusted sources.
Being a Victim of Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying comes in many forms and some of them are as follows:
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Threats of any nature via messages or posts
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Blackmailing via social media channels or messaging apps
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Public posting of private/embarrassing media or text content to humiliate and harass an individual
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Harassing an individual with multiple texts/calls via the internet.
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Publicly shaming individuals with hurtful texts, images, videos, etc.
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Stealing someone’s identity online and pretending to be that person
Talk with your children and make sure that if anything like this is happening to him/her, it is being reported both to the concerned social media app and even the police in extreme cases where the threat/blackmail/humiliation is credible or serious enough. Talking to the teachers, parents and close friends about the problem is the first step in countering cyberbullying.
The internet has changed everything and in spite of all the controversies, the changes have mostly been for the good so far. Nonetheless, the internet poses a very credible threat to children and everyone who are not totally aware of all its dangers, or not taking the appropriate measures to counter those risks. By teaching your children about those dangers from an early age though, you minimize the chances of them ever making a serious mistake that can compromise their safety online.
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