There are so many things that a child doesn’t know about the world or whatever they know could be completely based on wrong information. A parent, a child’s most significant and foremost teacher, has a lot of grounds to cover when it comes to educating your kids about real world issues. Among many things that you need to teach your child about, during their time in elementary school in Japan, one of the most important lessons that you can impart to your children is about safety. As the world is becoming more and more technologically dependent, it is becoming critical for each parent to begin the digital education of their child pretty early on as compared to before.
With online school being the norm these days and children being exposed to laptops and smartphones as early as three or four years old, the importance of teaching a child about cyber security has grown like never before.
They should be introduced to concepts like cyberbullying and cyber crime to ensure safety while attending online school. They should also be taught about how to not engage in conversation with any of these people who are spreading hatred and bullying. If the requirement be, parents should report such concerns to the website or to the authorities immediately.
Kids have to be informed about how to keep themselves safe from any kind of cyber crime because they are vulnerable to losing their information from their identity and even in some cases their money, because these days using the plastic money has become so easy that even children use them.
Every elementary school in tokyo encourages parents to keep a check on their child’s screen time and educate them about the following:
Inform Them What is on Stake
The first and foremost information that a child must have about cyber security is that whatever threat is being discussed is a real threat. There are cybercriminals who are watching every step of the people that they are interested in and one little mistake could cost their safety and security. Usually the the concept of cybersecurity revolves around three pertinent areas which are:
Threats to Information: The criminals working with the dark web are professional criminals who can very tactically steal sensitive information like account passwords and mobile data. Tell them that they should not discuss the bank details and money transactions and even what is the salary of their parents online because it could be a trap for them.
Threats to Identity: The kids as well as you need to keep all your personal information absolutely safe but if a kid mistakenly reveals any such information then the damage control could be used. That is the reason you should take steps and talk to the child about not divulging any personal details online even if they are pressured by someone.
Threats to Finances: Professional cyber criminals will know multiple ways to steal your money. A child may not know the importance of money but of course as a parent you should be very cautious that they do not squander around the finances online, even if it is a small amount. That is a reason it is a lesson that should be inculcated in a child at a very young age so that we do not fall into the trap of any kind of scam in their later lives as well.
Many kids would not be even aware of such threats but you will have to tell them that these are the possibilities that could happen and how dangerous it is for them to be casual about their security and other information in the cyber world.
Probable Threats
To inform your kid about the common threats is one of the best ways for your kid to protect themselves from these threats. You can inform them about how cyber criminals could target them and what are the things that are on stake.
They must be informed that while they are online we could be targeted by cyber criminals.
The biggest risk, undoubtedly for the kids, is social media and those children who use social media heavily are the most vulnerable to a cyber security threat.
Social engineering & Phishing:
Your child may post images of themselves, pets, their recent activities and even their friends.They should learn how much is too much information and what are the things that expose their emotions which might be used by the cyber criminals in a negative way.
The work of a phisher is to try to trick users so that they give their personal information. Phishers often utilise many well known and trusted brands which the kids are familiar with. The kids need to be made aware that through social media platforms for gaming portals, phishers can operate and might take out important information. Teach your child to identify these threats early on and avoid becoming a victim of this kind of cyber criminal activities.
Teach your Children How to Remain Safe
Passphrase: With the combination of multiple measures you can decrease the risk of your child becoming a victim of any kind of cyber attack significance.
Creating a Strong Passphrase : As opposed to a password, passphrase is the best way to keep any kind of account like a social media account safe.
Utilising Multi-Factor Authentication: Using multiple ways to protect one’s account is a very good way to avoid any kind of criminal activity and that is the reason multi factor authentication adds various security layers so that the cyber criminals cannot penetrate.
While online schools have saved important academic years and have ensured uninterrupted learning for our children. Yet there are some threats that we should not ignore and educate ourselves and our children about, only then we can be sure of being safe.
