- Digital privacy expert gives advice on keeping children safe online

With(Kodomo no Hi) celebration being just around the corner, it is the right 
time to speak with children about the dangers of online hacks, scams, and 
increasing cyberbullying.

Daniel Markuson, a digital privacy expert at NordVPN, has collected some tips 
so that parents can teach their children about internet privacy and safety.

1. Educate on the importance of passwords. 

It is important to teach children good password habits. "Besides knowing about 
all the good things the internet can offer, children should also learn about 
the risks that come with it. There are many educational resources online, 
including videos [https://youtu.be/xBDhdOePNnk], which children often prefer to 
other types of media," says Daniel Markuson.

2. Set an example and become digital-literate yourself. 

Show how you communicate and stay safe online but try not to push your opinion. 
Also, kids love when you know what's up and you can discuss that popular social 
media platform together. 

3. Explain why privacy matters, especially when talking to strangers. 

Talk to your kids about privacy and explain why they shouldn't overshare on 
social media platforms. 

Tell them (but don't try to scare them) that internet bad guys can use their 
address, school location, parents' workplace, and other info against them. 
Teach your children how to manage their privacy settings so they can choose who 
they want to show their information to.

4. Talk to them about cyberbullying. 

Based on Statista 
[https://www.statista.com/statistics/1226684/japan-number-reported-cyberbullying
-cases-schools/], around 17.92 thousand cases of cyberbullying among students 
were reported by schools in Japan in 2019. Tell your child about cyberbullying 
so they can recognize it. Show how to block unwanted people or report 
inappropriate actions online. 

5. Talk about ads and online offers. 

Nothing is ever for free. Teach your child to be careful about deals that look 
too good to be true. Ask them to show you everything they are planning to buy 
or redeem. Some offers may be scams designed to extract private information or 
money.

6. Install games and apps together.

Make sure you download all games and apps from secure sources. Also, check that 
both the app and its provider are reputable. Fake pop-ups often prompt kids to 
install various applications for free. But that may result in malware infecting 
the device or the whole home network.

https://nordvpn.com

Source: NordVPN