I am such a fan of school holidays! No music lessons, no sport, no commitments. Bliss!! The crazy school term routine is no more and people can just ‘be’. Marvellous!! But all good things must come to an end. So, unless you want the police knocking on your door, the kids must go back to school. Ughh! So much to do. Where to start?
So, there’s shoes, uniforms, enrolments in music, drama and sport, haircuts, stationery and then of course, all things technology! Ah yes, the ‘t’ word. When you’re juggling work, running a house and a tribe of kids, managing your kids and their tech lives can be overwhelming. But as parents, it is essential that we take the time to make sure we have all things technology covered for our kids.
What Are The Main Risks Kids Face Online?
The internet, our connected devices and online activity are such a huge (and permanent) feature of our modern lives. As parents, we owe it to our kids to make sure we can prevent some of the dangers associated with a connected life. Whether it’s phishing scams, online predators, oversharing, downloading malware, falling for an online scam or worst case, becoming the victim of cyberbullying, teaching our kids how to navigate some of the perils of the online world is essential.
How Can I Help My Kids Navigate Online Dangers?
Without a doubt, the absolute best way of protecting our kids is taking the time to better understand how the online world really works. And I understand that means time – something many of just don’t have. But if you could scan the tech news of your favourite online news site every day and then allocate 20 minutes each week to research a new app or social media platform, you’d be surprised how quickly you could get yourself into good cyber parenting shape.
The Back To School To-Do List
But let’s keep it simple. It’s already January and there isn’t a lot of time left to get organised. So, here’s what I think you should focus on tech-wise to make sure you can cross technology off your ‘back to school’ to-do list.
1. Install Security Software On ALL Devices.
Many people invest in security software for their laptops, which is great. However, all devices need to be protected. Anything you can download on a laptop, you can download on a tablet or phone.
Many security software packages will include coverage for a ‘fleet’ of devices. McAfee® Total Protection software provides premium antivirus, identity and privacy protection for all your PCs, Macs, smartphones and tablets – in one subscription. Easy!
2. Know How To Connect Safely On Public Wi-Fi Networks.
Wi-Fi can be an extraordinarily risky affair with hackers spending a lot of time developing ways to extract users’ personal information. If your kids absolutely must connect, ensure it is a secured Wi-Fi which means it requires a password. However, this is still not 100% safe so no banking, financial or shopping transaction should be conducted on Wi-Fi.
Why not consider investing in a Virtual Private Network (VPN)? A VPN provides a secure encrypted connection which means that anything you send or receive is safe. Check out McAfee’s VPN, McAfee® Safe Connect – it provides bank-grade Wi-Fi encryption, which means you can relax!
3. Schedule Regular Data Backups.
‘Losing’ a document is so frustrating! Avoid those late-night homework traumas and ensure your kids regularly scheduled data backups for their main devices. You could choose to back-up to a hard drive, but I think an online backup service is probably easier to use. Whether it’s Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive – find an online provider and set this up BEFORE school projects get underway!
4. Ensure All Device Software Is Up-To-Date.
Software updates (and reminders) can be super annoying and interrupt the flow of a busy day. But keeping your software up-to-date is actually one of the best ways of protecting yourself from the latest online threats.
Why not select auto-updates for software on all your devices – including your smartphones? If your software doesn’t offer auto-updates, schedule a monthly reminder in your calendar to check for and install available updates.
5. Understand Your Child’s School BYOD Policy.
Make sure you understand the Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) policy of your child’s school. Some schools require parents to be responsible (and pay) for repairs, insurance and online security associated with your child’s laptop or tablet; others will provide this for an annual fee. Please take the time to understand this before the school year starts and an issue occurs.
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I know it may seem like a bit of work but taking these precautionary steps now means your kids are as protected as can be when enjoying their online lives and of course doing their homework this year! And make sure you also take the same steps to protect the adults (and their devices) in your house as well! They are just as important.
Here’s to a great school year!!
Take care,
Alex xx
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