How Young Parents Can Protect Their Families Against Cyber Attacks

New parents today need to be digitally intelligent to keep their young families safe and secure from dangers in the world. Ironically, crimes are no longer just physical, digital crimes have steadily become common and are said to cause far more damage than ever. Cybercrime is no joke and remains to be an ever-growing threat with more people centering their lives around internet-based technology.

Cyber-Safety: Is it Compromised?

Unfortunately, cyber-thieves are quite relentless. This can be noted from the increase in online attacks globally that continue to stagger millions. It is important to note that there are various kinds of cyber-attacks and that’s why it’s easier for people to become a target. 

Cyber safety can often be compromised when one inputs confidential financial data for online shopping or shares personal info like name, email, or present location on various social media channels, such as Snapchat or Instagram. This has increased so much that people today are even scammed offline via phone scams. 

It is advised that one should always survey landline phone service providers by zip code and then install a digital landline service, which offers a top-of-the-range security suite for its customer base.

Once a user becomes aware of these threats, the next step is to understand the various measures that parents can take to keep their family safe on the internet. This means regularly having thorough discussions with the kids, talking about the various ways that one can employ to stay safe from potential cyber-risks, or enforcing safety regulations online like parental control and difficult passwords, among numerous others.

Educating the Family

Understanding the various risks that your family is exposed to is the first step to warding off cyber threats. While cybercriminals today can easily gain access anywhere, all family members need to be careful with the kind of information they are sharing online and with whom. That’s why it is also important for parents to educate the various age groups within the family, regarding the dangers of the online web. 

Young children, teens, and even seniors are often the most vulnerable when it comes to cybercrime. Because they are usually gullible by nature, easily trust anyone, believing that meeting or interacting with new people online cannot be dangerous.

Online Protection Guidelines for Kids to Follow

Well unfortunately the opposite is true. Even though younger members of a family may be more fluent in all things the internet and social media, they are still susceptible since they are mostly online. What’s more, cybercriminals are always on the lookout for blind spots. There have been cases where children have befriended strangers on online gaming platforms, like PUBG and the resultant friendship has been nothing less than disastrous.

Online Protection Guidelines for Teens & Tweens to Follow

Even though young children are still under some form of parental guidance, it’s the children in the latter years, the teens and even tweens to some extent, who are an easy target. For they are far more invested in the cyber-world than kids of other ages. But more than that they are often influenced by their peers, and this can be either good or bad, ultimately depending on the child. 

While forcefully enforcing restrictions and limitations may often not produce the kind of result that parents hope, especially if they have older kids involved, setting clear rules for the cyber world is thoroughly important.

For instance, teens may be inspired by their favorite influencer sharing their exact location online or maybe posting about their daily life and where they are – every minute of every day. Thus influencing young teenagers among their fans to do the same. In that case, it is best to talk to your teen about the various dangers that are associated with such a practice. It is best to have open discussions so that these youngsters know how cyber criminals stalk their prey, by tracking regular movements and the various dangers that are related to this situation.

Online Protection Guidelines for Seniors to Follow

Regularly discussing this topic with different members is meant to bring everyone on the same page. Plus, everyone also knows the implications behind such heinous actions, making it easier to manage digital activity as parents would have support from the whole family! 

It is not just teens or children, or young adults, who are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. The senior generation is also affected by cybercrime, for they use social media channels to keep in touch with their loved ones. Or utilize online desktop apps for increased productivity and better task efficacy. Either way, it is essential to discuss cyber-threats and online risks with them, so that they can browse and surf the internet safely without freaking out about digital threats.

Cyber-Security Measures: Start With Baby Steps

As much as these discussions are helpful, it always starts with the ISP that a user has opted for their home or business. Many providers today offer services that are protected by a security suite like the McAfee Digital Security Suite that’s offered with all of AT&T’s stand-alone services, double-and triple-plays. And even with special deals like the seasonal AT&T bundle discounts as well. So that all your digital activity is safeguarded and your device is safe from any kind of cyber-infection or malware.

Some cybersecurity practices that can effectively help to protect your entire household:

• Always update your laptop and mobile software – this includes running the latest versions of security software
• Remove any old/unused mobile or desktop apps from smart devices that are daily used by the family
• Establish cybersecurity ground rules for the family and encourage communication to keep the family digitally safe
• Always access the web from a secure location. If possible, utilize a VPN to your benefit
• Do not share your phone devices with friends or even family, unless it is necessary
• Create unique and smart passwords, which are frequently updated
• Avoid public WiFi or sharing hotspots at all costs
• Recognize phishing emails and don’t open them

Wrapping Up

To sum up, cybercrime is a menace, which unfortunately has no bounds. That’s why data protection must always start simple – from a customer’s ISP. By following some of the above-mentioned methods and following some basic guidelines for online security, one can be protected against all kinds of spam and deception.