Last updated on December 1st, 2020 at 03:48 pm
Chances are, your children are starting to get excited about the upcoming holiday season, and after the past few months, they deserve a nice, relaxing break. Especially if they stayed off the “naughty list.”
If your child loves to stay up to date with the latest tech, you may have thought about treating them to a new:
- Smartphone
- Gaming console
- Laptop/desktop computer
- Smart tablet
Most parents assume that their children are safe to use their devices as they please; however, this isn’t the case. If your child isn’t careful, he or she could run into one or more of the following issues:
- Cyberbullying
- Accidentally downloading malware
- Posting inappropriate content
Cyberbullying
Whether it be at school or work, most people have dealt with a bully at some point in their life. However, kids today have to deal with a new type of issue: cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying is the act of harassing or ridiculing another person over a digital platform. These platforms include:
- Video game servers
- Online chatting apps
- Social media
Getting cyberbullied is a serious issue, as it can negatively impact a person’s self-esteem and mental health. Furthermore, it can turn a once enjoyable activity into an unpleasant experience.
To make matters worse, your child may be getting cyberbullied by someone they know from school or work.
If you have reason to believe your child is getting cyberbullied, you should encourage him or her to open up a dialogue about the issue. If the problem persists, you may want to contact a local support group or, if necessary, the authorities.
Accidentally Downloading Malware
For those who don’t know, malware is a term that describes malicious software that can compromise your data and slow your device down. There are several different types of malware, all of which have their own unique sets of threats.
As an example, keyloggers are a form of malware that track a user’s keystrokes. When the user types sensitive information (like their banking info or social security number) on their device, the keylogger sends the data to a cyber-attacker. This is just one example of how accidentally downloading malware can compromise your data.
Removing established malware can be quite tricky, even for experienced cybersecurity experts. Thankfully, there’s an easy way that you can protect your computer and your information over the holiday season — by downloading a trusted antivirus program.
These programs can proactively track and block out malware before it becomes an issue. Although there are several free antivirus programs on the market, you’ll get the best results by purchasing high-quality software from a well-known cybersecurity company.
Posting Inappropriate Content
As you may know, deleting photos and videos from the internet is nearly impossible. Although you may be able to remove something from a particular platform, you most likely won’t be able to erase the content entirely.
With this in mind, you can see why your children must use good judgment while posting online. The wrong photo or status update can potentially rear its ugly head at the worst possible time, like at a future job interview.
Before they use their new gadgets, be sure to teach your children about safe posting practices on social media and online. This will help them navigate the internet safely and securely.
By using the tips mentioned above, you can keep your children safe from a wide range of cyberthreats over the holiday season.
Also read —
6 Tips for Setting Screen-Time Boundaries
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