How to Protect Your Kids From Cyber Crime

Cybercrime is on the rise. Criminals have turned to the internet as a new source of income. It's simple to steal someone's identity or get into a bank account, and finding out where the information is stored doesn't have to be difficult. Cybercriminals now know how to break into the systems of major organisations and governments to steal critical information and resell it on the black market.

Cybercrimes are becoming more and more frequent. What was once an issue only for adults has now morphed into a problem for kids, too. Kids are more vulnerable than adults when it comes to cybercrimes because they may not understand the risks of giving out personal information on social media sites, downloading unknown apps, or sharing too much personal information in chat rooms. Cybercrime can be devastating and has the potential to ruin lives. But there are ways to protect your kids from such crimes.

Here's what I have covered in this article

Section 1: What are cybercrimes?

Section 2: How children are impacted by cyber crimes

Section 3: Tips to protect kids from cybercrime

Section 1:What are cybercrime?

Cybercrime is a kind of crime where criminals use computers or online systems to either steal information or disrupt services or systems. Cybercrimes can be divided into two major categories: electronic crime and traditional crime. The first category includes everything from identity theft, which involves obtaining someone else's personal information, to phishing, which involves tricking someone into giving away valuable information.

For information go through this website (National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal)-  https://cybercrime.gov.in/  

Section 2: How children are impacted by cyber crimes

Telling your kids to ignore cyber crime messages can have serious consequences. Kids' gadgets are vulnerable to cybercriminals, who can take over their devices remotely and put them to use. According to a report by The Washington Post, a new phishing scam called "WannaCry" that took place earlier this year may have put more than 200,000 people across 150 countries at risk. Hackers allegedly used the vulnerability in Microsoft's Windows operating system to spread the malware, which locked down devices and demanded payment for the device to be unlocked. 

Section 3:Tips to protect kids from cybercrime

The key is to provide children with access to age-appropriate content, such as stories and games while making sure that they have the security measures to keep them safe from online dangers. Below are five tips on how to protect your kids from cybercrime

1. Know your kids' online behaviour 

Start by assessing how your child is using the Internet. Are they visiting social media sites on their own, or are you just providing them with the login information and access? Are they being active in the online community, or do you find that they're being ostracized? Protecting kids online is dependent on the child's behaviour and level of maturity, and it's impossible to monitor kids 24/7. However, parental monitoring is an effective way to protect kids from things such as cyberbullying and predators.

Parents who want to track their children. Here are few tips to protect your kids from cybercrime

• Monitor their online activity. Make use of parental control software, an important factor when it comes to protecting kids against cybercrime is parental involvement. At home, parents can set up parental controls, which can limit children's access to certain sites. The best option is to use parental controls that are designed to be child-friendly.
• Make sure they aren't clicking on suspicious links or attachments.
• Be wary of apps that require students to share personal information such as their contact lists.
• Find out about all apps your child downloads or opens. Make sure they're suitable for their age.
• Make sure passwords are strong and that they're changed often. Also, make sure kids don't use the same password for different accounts.
• Teach children to use secure, unique passwords that are not repeatable or easily guessed.
• The first step in parental monitoring is educating yourself about the newest types of tech your kids use. According to Joshua Meltzer, director of Internet safety at The New York Times, many of today's cyber threats are connected to apps that run in the background on a smartphone or tablet. 

 2. Set some ground internet rules

If you're not monitoring their online activity, then you need to set up rules and guidelines for your kids to follow so that they know what they're getting into. Many parents want to help their children get the most out of their technology, and parents want to know what they can do to protect their kids from potential cyber threats. In addition to teaching kids about online dangers, families need to limit screen time and set internet safety guidelines. Measures like these don't mean a parent needs to be anxious about their kids' technology use. Instead, parents can develop policies that support their kids' healthy technology use. 

3. Ask them to do it on their own

Encourage them to read the terms and conditions of any new software or apps before using them. Let your kids know that it's okay to question a request for their personal information online. Help them to develop a strong sense of privacy. Allow them to take things offline and to be fully in control of their own identities. Furthermore, you can also ask your children to update security software and have operating systems and browsers up-to-date. Do not forget to remind your kids often to use password protection software and biometrics to protect their accounts, like fingerprint scanning for social media.

4. Set of Cybersecurity Education Standards for all schools

To protect your kids from cybercrime, it's important to make sure your kids are educated about the risks associated with online activity. Some schools now teach students and parents how to spot and avoid online threats. So just ask school teachers to conduct a session on Cybersecurity Education Standards so that it enables every single student, to receive education about computer science, the Internet and digital security. This educates youth about the many threats posed to them, and in particular how to protect themselves. The primary form of cyber threat that schools have to protect against is phishing. Phishing is an online scam that relies on tricking someone into entering their password or personal information for their email, bank or other online accounts.

5. Set strong internet and privacy settings on devices

Parents need to keep an eye on how kids use technology, how they connect with other people, and how they manage online safety. As a parent, it's helpful to know what programs are offered and if you want your kids to be safe online, try to limit their time spent on digital devices. Set strong internet and privacy settings on devices so your kids can't visit inappropriate or offensive sites. Also, use parental controls to limit children's access to the Internet. Make sure your kids' profiles are set to "private" or "only me," and then set your kids' passwords to something difficult to guess and change often, such as a combination of letters and numbers.

6 . Talk to them about cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is a growing and urgent concern, and that's why I'm hoping to raise awareness of the negative effects of cyberbullying, and empower individuals to help kids develop positive and appropriate social interactions online. Talk to your children about cyberbullying as soon as they are old enough. Many adults find it difficult to explain what bullying is, and how it's harmful to others. Describe to your children that bullying is any pattern of behaviour that is intended to make someone feel bad about themselves or to harm them in some way.

To help your kids stay safe online, start by educating them about cyber safety. First, emphasize to your kids that when they are communicating with someone online, they should never send private, personal information like their name, address, or phone number to anyone online. Teach your kids that it's okay to say "no" when asked to share information, and also teach them to ask questions. If they're unsure, ask someone they trust.

7. Educate 

Fortunately, parents themselves can be a good source of information. But these conversations need to start at a young age. As with so many parenting tasks, the earlier you start talking about digital citizenship, the better.

• There are several steps you can take to ensure your kids are safe online. 
• equip them with as much cybersecurity education as possible. 
• Take time to educate your kids about cybersecurity and how to protect yourself against various types of cyber threats.
• Teach them about the different kinds of threats that exist, including phishing, malware, and ransomware.
• Discuss how to recognize if someone has hacked into their account, how to protect themselves from threats, and what to do if someone else posts or shares their information online.
• Also, make sure they understand how to set strong passwords, use authenticator apps, 
• avoid giving out their personal information or handing over devices without permission. 
• Make sure they understand that using a device with insecure network connectivity is extremely risky. 
• Use devices with strong security protocols to ensure they're safe. 
• Make sure they have effective antivirus and anti-malware software installed and that they update it as soon as it becomes available.
• Teach your children to report phishing emails and other security breaches.
• Learn to recognize online predators and other bad actors.
• Encourage your children to develop online privacy and security habits such as being cautious when clicking links, not giving away private information on social media and uninstalling unnecessary apps.

Conclusion

The world is changing fast, and we need to change with it. It’s your responsibility if you have children; you should do everything in your power to protect them from these crimes. The internet is often called the Wild West of today’s world, where anything goes. With criminals just waiting to prey on your children, it's important to educate them about what they might encounter online. It is difficult to keep up with the rapid advancement and changes in technology. It seems like a new app, device, or gaming console is released every day. This ever-changing environment can lead to distractions from children's online safety.

Here is the most effective cybercrime video.
WCF Information Security Awareness Program  - Children's Internet Safety (English)