Kids Cybersecurity Risks

In the news recently, there have been many stories involving different cyber risks that kids may face when being online whether that's on a phone, computer or gaming device. These risks span from theft of a kids personal information, cyberbullying or even scams! We chose three stories we think that you should be aware of. We hope this helps you on your cybersecurity education journey!

Back to School Posts

With back to school season quickly approaching it is important to be aware of the risk involved with posting back to school photos with information about the school you attend or the grade you are in. ABC News has written a story on the dangers of using the cute photo props that shows different information about a child and them starting the new school year. There are a reported 500,000 child predators actively operating online and by posting information like age, school name, and teachers name put your child at risk of cyber predators. If a bad person were to see a post about a child and their school information they could approach the child in public and gain their trust because they know personal information. Posting about going back to school is definitely okay, just limit the information involved in the post and increase your security settings.

Increase in Cyberbullying Attacks

According to Forbes, and as we most know, social media is becoming the most popular way in which kids and teens are in communication with each other. But with the increase of the use of these platforms means an increase of cyberbullying and online harassment. Children as young as ten are reporting instances of cyberbullying. According to the article 58% of kids globally have reported being bullied online by someone they know. In addition to the general statistics regarding this issue, one in four kids globally face racist attacks online, and one in 6 kids face online sexual harassment. These numbers are scary, and it is important to be aware of these risks and be educated on how to protect your children from them,

Gaming Scams

According to Independent News, parents' fear of their child falling victim to scams related to online video games is rapidly increasing. One in ten parents surveyed said that their child had already fallen victim to phishing type scams involving game currency. Attackers are purposely targeting children to get to their parents finances. A lot of children and parents have connected game accounts, or store their parents credit card on the platforms. This can lead to theft of that information through different types of scams. Imagine your child is sent a link on a gaming platform to get free coins, but the link hacks the account to steal credit card information. It is important to keep an open discussion about these risks.

These can all seem like very scary things, but just being aware of them can help with online protection as well as keeping an open discussion around these topics. You can check out Kids Shield other blogs to see other stories and ways in which you can protect yourself online. We also are on all social platforms, make sure to check them out. And while you’re at it sign up for our email list to never miss out on any information or resources. We hope you enjoyed this weeks news stories. Be educated, be connected and be safe!