How safe are your children online?

The internet can be an incredibly fun and informative place, which is what most children view it as. All they know is the gaming and cool YouTube videos at a click of a mouse.

Many are unaware of the risks online.

It has become the norm for younger children to have access to the internet, whether it be through your cellphone, laptop, tablet or their own device.

It is your responsibility as the parent, to inform them about the dangers.

What are you doing to ensure that they are surfing the web safely?

It is impossible to sit by their side each time they want to watch or play something, you need to have security software installed on the device to stop malware from being downloaded through non-certified applications and stop infected links should they be clicked.

Along with security on each device, you need to have network security too. Should a device become infected and spread through the network all your personal information and if you work from home, confidential work information will be breached.

Monitoring and knowing what your child is accessing is a necessity.

You need to monitor what type of games your child is playing and what they are watching online. Age restrictions are there for a reason.

Online gaming with team speak can be a perfect picking ground for a hacker to use social engineering to get your child to divulge personal information which they can use. Make them aware that the person on the other side is a stranger and if they wouldn’t tell a stranger where they live or what their contact details are, they shouldn’t divulge it over the internet.

Do you know what your child is doing online?

The best way to ensure full visibility is to setup your child’s accounts and manage the passwords.

Monitoring the activity on the accounts is so important, especially because they are under 18 when getting their first device and being introduced to the online world.

Have you seen what your teenager is posting online?

Privacy settings are there for a reason and you must ensure they have them activated on all platforms. Make them aware that there is such a thing as over sharing. Less is more when it comes to social media.

Inform them that they need different passwords for all platforms and that they must change them regularly. It must become a habit so that when they have an online banking profile or deal with sensitive information over email, they will practice good password management and it will reduce the risk of a breach.

This is the reality of the internet, turning a blind eye and saying you don’t want to be “that” parent or you don’t want to make them live in fear, is the wrong approach completely.

Your children will use the internet and they will be at risk.

Awareness is the root of cyber security and being honest with them is the first step into ensuring they are safe when connected.

J2 Home Secure will allow all your home devices to be monitored and kept secure. It is time to take responsibility and realise that cyber security needs to be at the forefront of your household.

Let’s get real.

Olivia-Hannah Coetzee