In our rapidly evolving digital world, cybersecurity has transformed from a niche concern into a topic that touches everyone's lives, including our children's. As children grow increasingly tech-savvy from a young age, the need to safeguard and control their exposure to online activities has never been more crucial. The complexity of the internet, the constant emergence of new threats, and the speed at which technology is progressing can make these tasks incredibly daunting. However, it remains critical that we all are empowered to protect our children online.
Take advantage of parental settings
An easy step to protect children digitally is understanding and using parental settings on their devices. Most devices come with a variety of safety features for controlling and restricting content that may be inappropriate or dangerous. Parents or caregivers can configure settings to protect their children from explicit content, unsolicited ads, or unwanted in-app purchases. For those of us who find this a bit challenging, there are many support forums and online tutorials. Your mobile provider may also offer in-store assistance.
Keep communication pathways open
Depending solely on technology for protection overlooks the critical roles that open communication and education can play. One practical approach to foster awareness and accountability with online safety is the establishment of a parent-child agreement. It should cover the rules and expectations for internet and device usage, including screen time limits, appropriate online behavior, and penalties for misuse. It should also include a commitment from both the parent and child to discuss anything unusual or troublesome they might come across. Encouraging open dialogue and collaborating on this agreement lets children know they're never alone in dealing with an online concern.
If a child is of school age, it is also good to understand the school’s use of technology and safeguarding policies. Their policies and processes may be appropriate to incorporate into your parent-child agreement and could flag specific concerns or restrictions of games, social media, or applications you hadn’t considered before.
While parents hope their children would come to them with any questions, it is important that children know there are a variety of pathways, including their school or activity groups, where they can flag concerns or unusual online activity. Setting the expectation of what is normal online versus inappropriate conduct, contact, and content will help a child identify when they may need to leverage one of their communication pathways. Appropriate behavior extends to communication among friends and classmates. Messaging and conference apps can be a great way to communicate outside of school but can also become a channel for bullying or distressing communications. Helping your child learn what is acceptable to say and to have said to them is key in developing strong foundational online behaviors.
Socialize online activities in a safe space
Often the best way to learn is to ‘do’. Setting time aside to explore the internet with your child allows you to identify areas of concern or risk. It also gives you the opportunity to help reinforce the boundaries of expected online behavior. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommends starting this socialization as young as appropriate for the child so parents and caregivers “have the opportunity to talk to your kid about what’s important before anyone else does.”
Leverage online resources for guidance and support
No person is expected to know everything about cybersecurity, so various organizations have created resources to support online safety. These resources are free, readily available, and provide expert guidance on mitigating potential online harm.
The following curated list of example resources can help you understand and explain areas of child online safety:
Online reading resources
- UNICEF — How to keep your child safe online
- Childline — Staying Safe Online
- CISA — Chatting with Kids About Being Online
- New Zealand Government — Keep It Real Online
Online visual resources
- UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) — CyberSprinters educational game
- Safer Internet Day 2024 - Early Years (Key Stage 1) Film
- Safer Internet Day 2024 - Key Stage 2 Film (British Sign Language)
- Safer Internet Day 2024 - Film for parents and carers
Literature
- Eesha and the Mud Monster Mystery by Wendy Goucher
- Nettie in Cyberland by Wendy Goucher
- The Little Cyber Engineer by Amber DeVilibiss
- Tom tames his online world: Cyber safety can be fun by Nina Du Thaler
- #Goldilocks (A Hashtag Cautionary Tale) by Jeanne Willis
Affirm positive behaviors in your own online actions
As you focus on keeping your child safe online, it is important to apply robust cybersecurity practices to your own activities. Examples include setting strong passwords on devices and social media accounts, learning how to recognize and avoid phishing scams, and keeping personal information private. It is also critical for you to be a role model in your online interactions to demonstrate the behaviors you want your child to mimic as you explain accountability and the potential consequences of behaviors such as cyberbullying.
Navigating the complex landscape of cybersecurity can be hard. Yet, like all parenting challenges, it's about doing our best, learning along the way, and using all available tools and resources to protect our children as they explore the vast digital universe. Safeguarding our children's cybersecurity today is an investment in their secure digital future.