February 6, 2018, is Safer Internet Day. According to the organizers of Safer Internet Day 2018, the 2018 theme is "Create, connect and share respect: A better internet starts with you" is a call to action for every stakeholder to play their part in creating a better internet for everyone, in particular the youngest users out there.
As part of this important awareness day, we can all do our share by passing on tips on internet safety to the younger generation. While there are hundreds of tips that can and should ideally be followed, here are a few suggestions that we would like to highlight, to keep the new generation safe on the internet.
Our Top 7 tips to keep our kids safer on the internet:
- Be aware of cyberbullying tactics. Never respond to anyone sending you threatening or offensive messages. Report it to an adult immediately, and block the offender.
- Lock your phone, tablet, and computer with a password.
- Set strong passwords – use a combination of uppercase and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters.
- Do not click on links or open attachments in emails or texts from anyone unknown.
- Keep your social media accounts and photos private – limit access to your friends and family members only – do not accept invitations to connect with strangers. Check your security and privacy settings on social media accounts frequently as social media sites are well known for changing security and privacy features periodically.
- Don’t share personal information about yourself, like your address, phone number, email address, date of birth, on social media or chat rooms. Never give out this information to someone you may have only met online.
- Always use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) while connecting to any public Wi-fi or hotspot. It's very easy to get a VPN either for free or for a nominal charge.
Encourage the younger generation to follow these and other tips on internet safety. Make every day a safer internet day!
