Category: Online Safety for Kids

These days, kids spend a lot of time using screens. While you might not initially see a problem with digital engagement, the reality is that many children have a screen addiction. And, like any other addiction, that can come with a variety of issues for them now and in the future.

Before you talk to your children about screen time and addiction, it’s important to educate yourself on why it’s so important (and potentially dangerous). It’s estimated that kids and young adults between the ages of 8-28 spend over 44 hours each week in front of a screen. Let’s dive into that so you can be prepared for an educational conversation with your children. We’ll also cover some alternative ideas you can suggest to take the place of screen time in their lives.

What’s the Big Deal With Screen Time?

While letting your kids have screen time each week isn’t a bad thing, there’s a fine line when it comes to enjoying some entertainment and needing that time in front of a screen to feel satisfied. Not sure how to identify that line? Some of the most common signs of screen addiction include

• Your child can’t control their screen use
• They’ve withdrawn from other activities
• They’re being deceptive about how much time they spend in front of a screen
• They start having social issues

Unfortunately, too much screen time can harm your child’s developmental growth. Some studies have shown that excessive screen time can impact a child’s ability to learn, especially when it comes to language and communication. When you combine those communication issues with the common struggles of screen addiction, it can lead to more serious mental health concerns. Your child might start to isolate themselves, and their addiction could lead to anxiety or depression.

How to Teach Your Child About Screen Addiction

As a parent, your instinct might be to take away all digital devices from your child. But, going “cold turkey” isn’t always the best method for a child. It could end up fueling their dependence and possibly lead to other harmful addictions, even more, causing them to rebel or become more anxious, or contribute to withdrawal symptoms.

Instead, the best way to manage your child’s screen addiction is to talk to them about it. Make them aware of the potential risks using age-appropriate language, and explain to them why their health and well-being are more important than staring at a screen. You can even talk about specific types of problems, like smartphone addiction. If you have a teenager who seems to be glued to their phone 24/7, don’t be afraid to be honest with them about the effects that kind of addiction can have on their social life and relationships.

From there, you can set reasonable boundaries for their digital devices. That might include things like no screen time until homework and chores are done. Or, you can allow screens during certain hours of the day, but not others. At the end of the day, you’re the one who needs to put rules in place. Don’t be surprised if you experience some backlash, but when your child starts to understand those boundaries and knows they aren’t going to change, they’ll be more likely to follow them.

Come Up With Alternatives

It’s not uncommon for kids to turn on their digital devices out of boredom. One of the best things you can do to keep that from happening is to provide them with tech-free alternatives. Get creative with fun activities, and try things like

• Taking something apart to see how it works
• Creating a treasure hunt
• Flying a kite
• Building an indoor bowling alley
• Coloring

Don’t be afraid to try new activities that are out of your comfort zone. Not only will they keep your child’s interest, but you might spark a new hobby or passion that will encourage them to spend less time on a digital device and more time exploring that interest.

It’s also a great idea to get your kids outside as often as possible. Spending time in nature can help to reduce stress, boost energy, and improve your children’s mental state. If they’re having a hard time “detoxing” from their digital devices, the more time they spend in nature, the better. Go on a family walk every evening, or spend time at a local park a few times each week. Try to find activities that appeal to your child’s natural interests, and they’ll be more likely to want to be involved.

Like any addiction, a reliance on screens and digital devices is dangerous – especially for kids. Set an example in your house by monitoring your own screen time and limiting it in front of your children. By understanding the risks involved with screen addiction and setting boundaries for your kids, you’ll set them up for a future where they’re less dependent on technology, and more likely to have healthy relationships and strong communication skills.

About the Author
Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in education, mental health, family lifestyle and online safety. When she isn’t writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. You can follow her on Twitter.

While there are many benefits to the capabilities of online services, the web can be terrifying to parents of young kids and teenagers. Without proper systems in place, parents are concerned with the safety of their kids’ identity.

Many adults want to ensure that their children are not incurring bullying or harassment through online platforms. Thankfully, many software systems and search sites have been created to help limit and monitor the usage of technology for children. In this article, we will share five ways that adults can monitor the online presence of their children.

1. Ask Your Child About Their Experience

Many children are unaware of the dangers posed online. As an adult, you should make it a safe environment for your kids to come forward with their concerns regarding internet usage. Let them voice any issues they had or ask questions about content they encountered while using the web. Additionally, let them know that adults are willing to help keep them safe online if they ever do encounter a situation that makes them uncomfortable.

2. Monitor Their Web Usage With Technology

There are many ways to use technology to monitor your child’s website usage on computers, tablets and smartphones. Many software packages offer safe search engines that allow parents to block inappropriate websites from being accessed by children. Some programs also include real-time monitoring so parents can see what is being viewed on the computer during each session. If your child is new to navigating the web, this monitoring will be extremely helpful for safe searching.

3. Search Your Family Using an Online Platform

If you are curious about what information is available about your family online, search on a comprehensive engine like USSearch. This platform will help draw out relevant information so that you can see what content is readily available for other internet users. This can be helpful for verifying that profiles your children have on social media are safe and free of problematic content. If you find any information about your family online, take immediate steps to correct it.

4. Converse About the Proper Way to Use Social Media

While many websites use small disclaimers to remind users not to share personal details, kids often do so without hesitation. Be sure to talk with your child about internet safety the pitfalls of giving out private information on the web (phone number, address, school name). This will ensure that your kids are safe from any potential danger.

5. Talk With Their Teachers and Peers

If a teacher or a peer has ever complained about the behavior of your child online, discuss these issues with them immediately. This conversation can be difficult because it can mean admitting that you were not aware of something concerning occurring on your kid’s web usage.

Endnote

Having discernment when talking to your kids about their online presence is important. When you gain their trust, you can help keep them safe and respectable online. By putting adequate guardrails in place, you children will learn to use the internet appropriately.

Modern Parenting: Taking Care of Children with Technology

There can be so many risks associated with the online world, from the threat of identity theft to the potential for exposure to inappropriate content to the danger of child exploitation, that parents may be tempted to try to shield their child from the digital domain entirely. But not only is that impossible, it’s also unwise.

The reality is that the digital revolution is here. Now, more than ever, our lives revolve around the web. For many of us, cyberspace is where we work, learn, get our entertainment, and connect with the people we love. And if you want to prepare your child to thrive not just for today but for the increasingly digitized world of tomorrow, then you can’t avoid the cyberworld. But what you can do is teach them how to navigate it skillfully, safely, and smartly.

Gaming Your Way to Good Internet Citizenship

One of the most challenging aspects of teaching your kids how to be safe online derives from the fact that the risks are not only constantly changing, but they can also be difficult to understand and identify. This is particularly true for younger children, who may not yet have a solid understanding of important safety and security issues, such as the need to safeguard your personal data or how to remain alert to stranger danger online.

Fortunately, parents have several great resources for helping their kids learn good internet citizenship while having fun at the same time. Games such as Internland engage children through a series of challenging puzzles and quests. These games require players to master important online safety skills to advance to higher levels of the game.

Best of all, gameplay gets kids to apply these techniques in a range of different scenarios, helping them to retain, recall, and effectively use these skills.

Another engaging and nonthreatening approach to learning internet safety through gameplay is the bCyberwise Monster Family app for Android and iOS. The app addresses myriad challenges that today’s connected kids, and their parents, face every day. Topics such as respectful online communication, savvy social media use, and even the importance of strong passwords are explored through mini adventure games that children and adults alike will love.

Turning Kids Into Content Creators

If you’re like many parents, long months of pandemic lockdowns have likely sent you scrambling for ways to keep the kids entertained and occupied while Mom and Dad attend to work and home responsibilities. But just because pandemic restrictions are beginning to ease does not mean that you can’t use the time you and your little ones spend at home to discover new ways to safely engage in the digital domain.

Kids today are true digital natives, having grown up with access to technologies that their parents could not have begun to imagine at the same age. And that means that children are often far more technologically skilled than their parents realize.

These skills can be harnessed to great effect regarding teaching web safety by encouraging your child to become not just a digital content consumer, but also a content creator. For instance, helping your child create their own videos and animations can be an ideal way for them to learn about the “behind the scenes” realities of their favorite digital channels, the hidden processes their favored producers use to create content.

And ultimately that’s going to increase your child’s digital literacy, better equipping them to differentiate fact from fiction when consuming online content and thus making it less likely that they will fall prey to deceptive or nefarious materials. After all, there is perhaps no better way to master a medium than by actively engaging with it, no better way to learn than by doing.

A Family Affair

One of the scariest things about allowing your children to engage the internet is how easily the virtual door to your home and child may be opened to predators and others with evil intent.  But it is possible to guard the gate to your little one while still giving them the freedom to take advantage of all the opportunities that the great World Wide Web provides.

In addition to educational gaming and digital content creation, children should also learn about internet safety through the policies that parents impose regarding technology use. The prioritization of internet safety at all times and in all contexts must inform every encounter with the child’s tech.

This must involve the effective use of firewalls and passwords, the rejection of suspicious apps and downloads, and the avoidance of insecure websites. Above all, this should include an approach to internet technology that sees every device and all the content on it not as private, but as the province of both the child and their parents.

For example, children should learn to expect that parents will monitor all of their online activity, including not only the use of online trackers and monitors but also regular inspections of the child’s devices. Children should expect parents to enter the room and look over their shoulder when online, to demand to see their smartphones and tablets without warning and to keep a current list of all the child’s online accounts and passwords.

If such an approach to the online world is integrated into the internet safety learning process from the beginning, then kids are less likely to see it as restrictive or punitive. Rather, parents can help children understand that family transparency when it comes to the internet is simply an aspect, perhaps the most important aspect, of online safety.

The Takeaway

Given the risks that too often accompany the online world, parents may be tempted to ban their children from the internet entirely. But that may well do more harm than good. Rather than precluding children from the web, however, parents can teach kids about safe web search alternatives and how to use the internet safely, skillfully, and smartly.

With just about every child using the internet these days, combined with the steady stream of new technological advancements coming out every year, the challenge of controlling what your kids do online is not going to get any easier.  Staying on top of online safety for kids is top concern for every parent, but not all take the time to stay informed.

Whether by using mobile devices, watching YouTube videos, taking online classes, texting or chatting on a webcam with friends or family, online gaming or browsing through social media platforms, there are growing number of ways your child is connecting interacting to the internet.   The graph below shows how kids used the internet last year.

Just when you think you’re up to date on the latest security threats, something new comes along.  Often, issues come to light that are not new but no one seems to be focusing on them, such as preventing a session hijacking attack.  Safe Search Kids has your back, so let’s dive in.

Ultimate Guide on Session Hijacking Attack

There are significant benefits your kids will get by allowing them to stay online. The internet gives them exposure to the outside world. Your child will get to learn a lot through the internet.

However, it is also important to note that, while it is recommended that you allow your kids to use the internet, you should limit them and protect them against threats. Just like adults, kids are susceptible to several internet threats.

Session hijacking attacks are common these days, and they are one of the major attacks that your kids are vulnerable to. Most parents are faced with a heavy huddle trying to protect their kids against such an attack. If you are such a parent, worry no more.  This guide is an excellent read that will show you how to protect your children against a session hijacking attack.

Know What a Session Hijacking Is

I bet your child probably doesn’t know what a session hijacking is. They don’t even know if it exists. It happens when an attacker takes over your internet session. For instance, assume your child is using a smartphone to browse through the internet.  They have a favorite educational platform where they can read through various educational articles and undertake several activities. A lot will happen between the time you log in and when you log out.

For instance, hackers can obtain or generate your child’s session ID while the session is in progress.  The attacker will use the session ID to take over your child’s session, steal their sensitive data, distort their progress on educational websites, perform malicious money transfers, among many other evils.

To properly shield your kids against a session hijacking attack, you need to establish the root cause of the problem.  In essence, you must know the types of session-hijacking techniques that hackers could use to target your kids.

Session Hijacking Techniques

Session hijackers usually have a few techniques of choice to undertake a session hijack. They can choose to work with them individually or combine all of them. Here are some of the session-hijacking methods that attackers could use.

1.     Cross-Site Scripting

A malicious attacker can use cross-site scripting (XSS) to trick your child’s device into executing a malicious code masquerading as a genuine code. The XSS attacker will allow the session hijacker to have a copy of the cookie they need to perform a malicious action.

2.     Brute Force Attack

A hacker can hijack your child’s session by literally guessing a session key. Websites or applications that use a predictable or sequential pattern in their session keys are vulnerable to brute force attacks.

Brute force attack was the most dominant session hijacking technique in the past. However, applications and websites are now using randomly generated and complex session keys that offer considerable resistance against brute force attacks.

3.     Session Fixation

Session hijackers can sometimes craft a disguised session to trick your child into authenticating to a malicious server.

For instance, social engineering attacks such as phishing could effectively persuade your kids to click on a link or download an attachment that takes them to an unknown session cookie.

The session hijacker can then use the known session ID to hijack your child’s session.

4.     Session Side Jacking

Session side jacking is where an attacker uses a packet sniffer to steal a session cookie.

Typically, websites use SSL certificates to encrypt data on their pages. However, some websites do not use site-wide authentication, leaving their data vulnerable to interceptions by malicious intruders.

The moment the intruders lay their hands-on session cookies, they can hijack your child’s sessions to conduct malicious operations. For instance, an intruder can target children connected to an unsecured Wi-Fi to read through data.

5.     Malware Injection

Some malware is specifically designed to steal cookies. For instance, when your child is tricked into clicking on a malicious link or downloading an unsolicited file, the malware will scan through the network and traffic to collect session cookies which they can use to hijack your child’s session.

Ways to Stop Session Hijacking Attacks

Any effort to protect your kids against these threats will also help shield them against session hijackers.

Do you wish to know how to prevent session hijacking? The following are some of the measures you can take to protect your kids against session hijacking attacks.

1.     Do Not Allow Them to Use Public Wi-Fi

In session hijacking, unsecured public Wi-Fi could be the culprit that gives hijackers a direct ticket into your kid’s session.

It would be best if you never let your child use public Wi-Fi. There might be a cybercriminal nearby using packet sniffing to try and steal session cookies and compromise the data and online accounts.

2.     Ensure they use a Virtual Private Network

Using a Virtual Private Network will help your kids stay safe and keep hackers outside sessions if installed on the device being used.  A VPN will mask your child’s IP address and keep their browsing activities private.  VPN’s creates a secure tunnel through which all online activities will have to travel. It works by encrypting all data, thereby keeping it safe from hackers

3.     Provide Them with an Anti-Malware Software

Children usually act without contemplating the consequences of their actions. For example, when a hacker sends them a malicious link, they will rush to download the link without giving it a second thought.

The best way to stop malware attacks is to buy them anti-malware software. You should also know some of the tips that will protect them against malware attacks.

4.     Countercheck on the Security of Their Website and Web Application

Parents must be vigilant to continually counter check their kids security posture.

It is also important to educate them on some of the various internet scams they are vulnerable to and how to safeguard themselves against such scams.

Session hijackers might be targeting your child.  It’s a scary thought but with the proper knowledge and tools you can make every online experience a safe and positive one for your kids, as well as yourself.  Spread the word and share this article with friends and family.  Session hijacking is a major security threat than many parents are not aware of.