Today, we spend as much of our lives in cyberspace as we do in the real world. That becomes increasingly so with each new generation, and teaching our children to be savvy online is just as important as teaching them about “stranger danger” or how to cross the street safely.
That’s sometimes easier said than done when in many cases, children seem to know more about computers and the internet than their parents. But therein lies the risk. Behind the technology, lie human actions and motivations. Just like in the real world, not all of them are good. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a tech genius to teach your children how to protect themselves against online scammers.
Learn together about the latest scams
Following on from the above point, it’s not just parents who say their youngsters know more about tech than they do. Most teenagers are confident that they know it all, too. The likelihood is that neither you nor they are experts on just how rife tech scams have become. For example, did you know that it’s anticipated that digital payment deception will lead to financial damages exceeding $343 billion between 2024 and 2027?
Learn together about the latest scams by studying reliable resources. Also, initiate conversations about how to shop safely online, for example by using reputable, secure online stores with “https” in their URLs. Discuss phishing scams where scammers impersonate trusted vendors.
Protect children’s personal information
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) demands that websites and apps cannot collect personal information from children under the age of 13 without the consent of their parents. This includes their name, contact details, photos, and IP address.
So if your pre-teen is required to provide any such information to use a feature on a website or app, it should first notify you about what information it wants to collect, how it will be used, and how you can give consent. Make sure your child is aware of this. That way, he or she can play an important role in stopping the scammers by working alongside you to report an online service that is not following the COPPA rules. You can report offenders to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Don’t send money
Some scams are as old as the hills and are not at all subtle or sophisticated. Fake accounts might offer concert tickets or celebrity merchandise for a price that seems too good to be true. These sites rely on credulity and typically target either the young or the old.
The rule is simple, but it is always worth reinforcing. If your youngster is asked to send money for anything, whether it is a virtual asset in an online game, a celebrity download, or anything else, never do it without your consent. Chances are high that they will not receive a thing and will never see the money again.
Be careful with file-sharing software
Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing is popular among gamers and for sharing memory-intensive media such as video content. The problem is, aside from potential copyright infringement, software like BitTorrent and InterPlanetary can open the door to Trojans, malware, and all sorts of other vulnerabilities.
The best solution is to avoid using this sort of software, but prohibition can just lead to children continuing to use it secretively. Instead, set ground rules that if they want to use P2P file-sharing, you install it yourself to check what information is and is not shared. This is also a good opportunity to teach them to use security software to scan downloaded files and ensure they are free from malware, spyware, or viruses.
