Most teens (and parents) have watched Harry Potter, it is considered a classic children’s/teen’s movie and it isn’t all about magic.. there are some life lessons in there. One important message that always came across was that students had to provide a password to enter their dorms, the iconic Fat Lady’s words “Password Please” were featured in every film.
So, why are passwords so important?
Passwords help to protect private information from being viewed by just anybody.. we have passwords on our phones, our email accounts, even our bank cards have passwords. They are designed to keep sensitive information from prying eyes. Just like we need high privacy settings we need high security passwords.
Google Safety Center suggests that: you need to Protect passwords.
Help your family learn how to set secure passwords online. Remind your family not to give out their passwords, except maybe to trusted adults, like a parent. Make sure they make a habit of signing out of their online accounts when they are on public computers at school, in a café or at the library.
Setting home Internet passwords is also a great way for you to monitor your child’s online behaviour and let’s you know when they are accessing the web. A great way to set the Internet password is to change it once a week and only provide the password if the kids have finished their chores or accomplished their daily homework.
But just as being safe online is important – being safe offline is just as important. This is were the family safe word comes in! The family safe word is a secret “password” that only the members of your family or anyone you trust knows! It should be discussed as a family and introduced at a young age, a great place to discuss the family safe word is during family dinner were everyone can take part in choosing the safe word. So why is it important?
Imagine your child is leaving school for the day and waits for you at a designated spot each day, just take a moment to imagine someone (an intruder, pervert, someone who you don’t know) comes to “pick up” your child, in your place. They can easily convince the teacher that they are an aunt or uncle, but can they trick your kid? All your child needs to ask is “what’s the safe word?” and they can conclude whether they are friend or foe.
Child abduction and missing children are sadly a growing epidemic, with help from social media it is becoming easier for your child to communicate with strangers. Strangers who may one day take their communications offline and decide to meet your child. Do not under-estimate the strength of the safe word.
Remember it is important to only accept friends online, who are actually your friends, if you have doubt about anyone you have online it is best to block, delete and tell a trusted adult. These rules apply offline – tell a teacher, a friend, even a friends parent if you feel unsafe or you perhaps don’t recognise the person picking you up.
The following are some tips The Morcombe Foundation advise to keep your child safe from abduction:
1. When you can, stay with a friend. Even if you have a fight with your mate, don’t go off alone.
2. Be observant. Notice who’s around you and what they’re doing.
3. Have a family password. Something like your favourite food – lasagne, for example. If a person says they are meant to pick you up, test them on the password.
4. With your parents, make a list of 5 adults you trust. If you ever feel uneasy about anybody or anything, tell one of these people and know you won’t get into trouble. If you feel you’re not being listened to, try someone else.
5. Don’t share information about yourself, like your hobbies or the name of your school with people you don’t know, online or in real life
The Next Day for Daniel is on the 30th October, for more information please visit:
http://www.dayfordaniel.com.au/
The Cyber Safety Guru 