August 13, 2019

Back 2 School Digital Safety Primer 4 Parents: Part 1

Before Sending Your Child Back To School, Make Sure Their Digital Devices Have Been Secured for Safety and Privacy!

Friends,

As you finalize the checklists of needed school supplies and prepare your child for another successful year of school, did you remember to implement safety features on all their digital devices that have internet access?

The incredible technology devices that a child takes to school (or is given from their school district) can certainly open gateways to learning - but can open up access to the internet that can expose your child to harmful content (porn, hate speech) and dangerous people (child predators, identity thieves, and cyberbullies).

We're here to help! Below, we've provided a Tech Safety Checklist to get you started!

Before sending your child back to school, it is critical that all devices giving them access into the digital world are made more safe and secure. Taking the following steps will help prevent your child from online dangers and be more cyber secure.

Use “Tools”, better known as Parental Controls on all internet-enabled devices including smartphones, computers, tablets and gaming systems. Most parental controls allow a parent to set different levels of controls for different children. When used together, these tools provide effective layers of protection. Turn on Parental Control Tools to:

Set filters to block inappropriate content, including pornography.
Set monitoring/accountability tools to track apps usage, website visits, e-mails, messaging and other internet activities. Monitoring also provides detailed reports on the child’s online activities.
Set time limits.
Block inappropriate apps or games.
Set up parent-approved buddy and gamer lists to limit who your child can communicate with.

It is imperative that you use both Rules N' Tools with each of your children on all devices they use. As a parent, follow the link here for “Rules” -- non-technical measures in addition to the " Tools" above to help you become a better cyber-savvy parent. A few of the Rules are listed below:

Choose strong passwords using letters, numbers and symbols and review them periodically. Passwords should never be shared with anyone except you, the parent.
Secure the internet connection when using public Wi-Fi with a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service which provides online privacy and anonymity of private data.
Review safe internet conduct with your child including internet safety, online etiquette and cyberbullying.
Establish an agreement with your child about internet use at home and outside the home (see "Rules 'N Tools Youth Pledge.")

Remember, the best protection you can provide is keeping the lines of communication open with your child about internet use and staying on top of his/her internet access and behaviors.

?We've got loads of information on internet safety topics including social media, cyberbullying, cybersecurity, predators, pornography, and more at our InternetSafety101.org website.

Wishing you and your family a safe and successful school year!

President & CEO

Enough Is Enough^®