Protecting Our Children Against Online Threats

Cyber bullying and cyber-predators are real online threats to our children.

We have heard these threats broadcast on the news.  Children are sometimes mocked on social media and characters within the online games can be verbally attacked while playing. Cyber-predators take advantage of the trusting innocence of children in attempts to lure them into unsafe encounters.

The best protection is to be able to talk to your children about what is happening in their lives and online.

These are not the only online dangers faced by children today. Their trusting nature and their adept command of technology presents new dangers seemingly innocent to them.

Discuss public boundaries with your kids. Teach them to avoid clicking on emails or texts from strangers.

Children can easily fall for scams or post private information without realizing the depth of the threat, or the longevity of the post.

Children are vulnerable because they have not yet learned to be wary.

Malware can be accidentally downloaded. A child can easily be misled into responding to phishing schemes with the promise of something “free”.

If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Teach your children to be leery of online offers.