Ep4: Keeping Kids Safe Online

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Welcome back to Byte Sized Security, your source for

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bite-sized cybersecurity lessons.

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Our kids' lives are immersed in technology from an early age, which can introduce

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all sorts of potential online risks.

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So in this solo episode, I'll be providing parents, teachers, and

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caregivers with essential tips on keeping children safe online.

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I'll cover how to protect them from online predators, cyberbullying, oversharing,

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and age-inappropriate content.

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I'll also discuss fostering good digital habits and how

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to monitor kids' device usage.

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If you want to help the children in your life thrive online,

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this episode is for you.

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Let's dive in!

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The digital world poses many potential dangers to children that parents today did

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not grow up contending with themselves.

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From online predators disguising themselves on social media, to

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cyberbullies harassing classmates online, to endless inappropriate

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content just a few clicks away, it's understandable for parents to feel

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overwhelmed trying to protect kids online.

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But with the right precautions and open communication, you can allow

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your kids to benefit from technology while greatly reducing risks.

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I'll start with one of the most frightening threats parents

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worry about - online predators.

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It's extremely important to educate kids early on about online strangers

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and why they should exercise extreme caution sharing any information or

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interacting with unknown people online.

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Make sure they understand that predators frequently disguise themselves as

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young people or claim false identities online to try and gain trust.

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Impress upon children that if they ever receive messages, friend requests, or

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comments from strangers, they should immediately tell a trusted adult.

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You'll also want to monitor kids' accounts and teach them to only approve

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followers/contacts they know in real life.

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For young kids, it's smart to disable private messages from strangers

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in app settings when possible.

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And remind them not to reveal private information publicly on

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profiles that could allow stalking or hacking, like their address,

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school, birthday, or location data.

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When it comes to discussing inappropriate content, you'll want to tailor the

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conversation based on your child's age.

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For young kids, establish clear rules against accessing apps, sites, or

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search terms you deem off-limits, and consider using parental control

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tools to block mature content.

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Discuss the dangers of addiction to inappropriate content at an age when

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their brains are still developing.

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For pre-teens and teenagers, have open discussions about pornography and why much

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of what is depicted promotes unhealthy attitudes and behaviors around intimacy.

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Talk through how to handle peer pressure to view explicit content.

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And assure kids they can come to you if they encounter anything

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that disturbs them online.

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You want to foster judgment, ethics and self-confidence to make

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good choices when unsupervised.

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Cyberbullying is another major online threat to kids that

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all parents need to address.

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This can include posting embarrassing images without consent, spreading

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hurtful rumors, attacks on social media, harassment via texting,

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exclusion, impersonation and more.

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If your child experiences such bullying online, assure them it's

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not their fault and that coming to you was the right decision.

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Document any digital evidence.

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Escalate to the school and authorities as needed, and contact apps/sites to remove

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content and block harassers when possible.

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Most importantly, continually reinforce your child's worth

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and provide emotional support.

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Peer bullying can also occur via group chats.

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So counsel children to leave any chat where bullying is occurring and to

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alert an adult about the situation.

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Role-play good strategies for handling peer pressure to

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participate in cyberbullying.

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And have zero tolerance for kids spreading cruelty themselves online,

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imposing consequences as needed.

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Kids often lack judgment around oversharing personal information

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online that can follow them for years.

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Discuss keeping profiles private, thinking carefully before posting

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anything embarrassing or controversial, and avoiding specifics around location,

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school, family details, and contact info.

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Set privacy settings on apps to limit what friends can share about your child also.

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To foster overall good digital citizenship and safety, implement

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family tech agreements defining acceptable usage and consequences.

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Discuss treating online friends kindly and avoiding profanity on public channels.

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Launch recurring conversations on topics like how their online world

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compares to reality, the permanence of the internet, and how everything

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leaves a digital footprint.

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And you can set a great example by modeling self-control around device

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usage yourself and participating in some screen-free family activities.

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Show interest in their online activities and friends just as

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you would their offline ones.

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And encourage kids to come to you as issues arise, so you can team up keeping

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them secure, not micromanage their lives.

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When it comes to parental controls, features built into kids' devices can

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help protect them when unsupervised.

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iOS and Android phones have parental restrictions like web filtering,

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content blocking, limiting screen time and disabling features.

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Take advantage of these native capabilities.

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For additional oversight, kid-focused mobile carriers like

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Pinwheel offer extensive controls.

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And family safety apps like Bark, Qustodio, and Norton Family Premier

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monitor texts and social media for cyberbullying, predatory behavior,

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profanity, explicit content and more, alerting you to risks.

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The key is being involved just enough to protect kids online

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without invading their privacy.

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Fostering open communication will get you much further than any app can.

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The digital world is filled with tremendous opportunities for our kids

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to learn, create, socialize and play.

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With reasonable precautions and guidance, you can keep the online

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environment safe and positive while allowing your kids to thrive.

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That wraps up today's solo Byte Sized Security episode focused

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on protecting children online.

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Monitor their activity, have ongoing discussions, lead by example,

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and implement parental controls.

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But most importantly, foster open communication so kids feel safe coming to

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you for help navigating the digital world.

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If you have any other online safety tips, reach out!

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And tune in next time for more bite-sized cybersecurity advice.

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Stay safe!

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