All October as part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), we’re sharing cybersecurity tips from the people who live and breathe it—ESET employees. This tip comes from ESET VP of Human Resources Celeste Blodgett.
I work in an extremely technical field—cybersecurity—but when I’m not focused on growing ESET’s high-performance culture, I’m mom to four teenage boys. Here are three things I’ve done in my own home to raise my kids’ cyber awareness and help keep them safe.
Tip 1: Secure their identity.
Plenty of sites want to steal a child’s identity because kids are less likely to realize it has been stolen. Kids are taught to be truthful, but I taught my kids at an early age to never give their real birthday or address when online. Be sure to explain the reason to your kids—it’s all part of their cybersecurity education.
Tip 2: Role-play with them.
Role-play with your child about what to do when asked certain questions online or even when it comes to cyberbullying. I have found that the more that I role-play, the more my kids feel at ease when they come across a situation that is potentially unsafe.
Tip 3: Help them opt out of unsafe situations.
Have a code word only you and your kids know that will trigger help when they find themselves in a bad situation with their friends online. This way, when kids are on social media and the group begins to, for example, tease someone about their sexual orientation or pressure them into using drugs, your kids send you the code and you can to give them an excuse to leave. We always give our kids excuses to make us the bad guys. It works and the kids don’t get bullied for not partaking.
ESET is proud to champion National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which was created as a collaborative effort between government and industry to ensure every American has the resources they need to stay safer and more secure online. Learn what ESET’s doing for NCSAM and how you can get involved.