Educating Your Family on Online Privacy: Guidance for Parents

Introduction

As technology continues to develop, it’s essential that we develop strong defences against online threats that could endanger our family’s online privacy. If you’re a parent of kids who have just been introduced to electronic devices or teens who can’t go an hour without checking their social media, here are some quick tips that you can follow to educate your family about online privacy.

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Communicate Your Expectations

Teaching your kids about how to handle online space is a sure shot way of preparing them for any situations that they may face while exploring the digital realm. To get them in the habit of protecting their online privacy and raising digitally secure kids, teach them what’s acceptable and what isn’t.

For Example:

Sharing their private pictures, personal information, details about their family, and where they live isn’t acceptable. Being cautious of their social media footprint is important.

Talking to strangers on the internet is as unacceptable as it’s in real life. If someone approaches them and asks personal questions, or tries to bully them, teach them to report and block the person, and inform you immediately.

Staying vigilant is important when it comes to emails and websites that may involve harmful links. If they ever come across anything that seems suspicious, it’s important to never click on any links. Teach them to look out for spelling mistakes and vague information, which is the easiest way to weed out any phishing scams.

Use Parental Controls

The best way to avoid your children from going off the deep end of the internet is to use strong parental controls with screen time limits.

Not only can parental controls keep your children safe and their online privacy intact, but it’ll also help you keep an eye for any suspicious activities and behaviours.

You can also block any inappropriate websites and applications from popping up, and this will offer your children to explore the internet while staying safe online.

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Use Anti-Malware Services

You might not always be able to keep your children from clicking on something obviously suspicious, but by using a good antivirus program, you can protect their personal information as well as your personal devices from any external threats.

By installing a secure paid or free antivirus software on your devices, you can stay stress free as your children try to understand the social media space.

Most antivirus services inform the user when a website or link is malicious, and even if they download something unsafe on any of the devices, the antivirus software will scan and remove it from your computer before it gets infected.

Use A Secure Browser

There are many safe browser options available on the internet that help alert the user about any social engineering attacks, malicious websites, phishing attempts, and intrusive advertisements.

However, for an added layer of security and protection for online privacy, try installing a trusted VPN service in your devices. For instance, the Bitdefender VPN service enhances protection on all your devices, and keeps your information safe from any third party apps that may try to steal it for personal gain.

Final Thoughts

Online privacy is an essential component of a safe and secure digital experience today. Therefore, it’s important to educate yourself and your family about online privacy, especially as a parent.

By following the tips given above you can ensure that your family’s online privacy stays intact. Just remember to keep learning and updating yourself with the evolving technology to keep all online threats at bay.

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