The IT Nerd

As parents get their kids prepared to head back-to-school, there’s one thing they need that’s more important than any backpack or notebook – it’s the know-how to ensure their children are safe online.

According to Canadian not-for-profit organization and official TELUS WISE partner MediaSmarts, Cyberbullying is on the rise, with one in ten Canadian students experiencing it last year. Studies show that it can have traumatic effects on youth, with links to depression, yet kids underestimate how much it can impact them, shrugging it off as a normal part of their online interactions.

A Telus survey reveals that 71 per cent of parents purchased their child’s first mobile device before the age of 14 and 5 per cent of parents bought their child a mobile device before the age of eight.

• Parents say they are buying these devices to protect their children offline.Nearly one-third (31 per cent) say they want to be able to contact their child, while 27 per cent want their child to have a mobile device in case of an emergency.
• At the same time,parents are worried about their child’s online safety: 64 per cent of parents are concerned about the visibility of personal information, 50 per cent are concerned about privacy and 42 per cent of all parents surveyed reported that cyberbullying is a top concern when it comes to their child’s safe use of mobile devices

To help parents protect their kids, Telus prepared a top 10 list of online safety tips for parents to keep in mind as kids head back to school:

TELUS WISE: Ten Tips for Back-To-School Online Safety 

Online security is becoming increasingly important. From hackers and cyberbullies to predators and phishers, the online world can be a scary place if you’re not armed with the right information. As your kids head back to school, here are some tips from TELUS and TELUS WISE to keep in mind so you and your family can keep yourselves safer online:

1. Review the permissions before giving permission. Apps and social sites often ask for access to personal information that could put you at risk. Set rules around what info you and your kids will share and with whom.
2. Keep it private. It is vital to constantly check and adjust privacy settings within apps and social sites to keep up with ever-changing defaults. Looks for app settings that share information publicly and change it to close friends only.
3. Set-up a 24/7 watchdog for your name. Create a Google alert for yourself and each of your family members to track how your names are being used online and where you’re being mentioned. Find out more on our TELUS WISE site.
4. Less is more. Limit the amount of potentially sensitive information posted online to lower chances of theft or abuse – think twice before posting last names, age, school names, vacation location or other personal info.
5. Keep connections personal. A good rule of thumb is to only connect and share with people that you know in real life. “Friending” people online whom you’ve never met increases your risk of exploitation.
6. Think before you click. Always read the full path of the URL link you are about to click to make sure it’s going to take you where you want to go.
7. Don’t be found. Turn off geo-tagging on smartphones and tablets to keep from being tracked. When this feature is enabled, your exact location can be exposed even if you’re just posting a photo. Ensure that apps that rely on location (e.g. Google Maps) are the only ones that have location enabled.
8. Lock it down. Set passwords that areat least six characters long. Use at least one symbol, number and uppercase letter; for extra security use different passwords for each website or account you use.
9. Don’t log in and leave it. Always be sure to log out of social accounts and apps when you aren’t using them. Disable or deactivate accounts and apps you no longer use
10. Keep your digital household clean.  Set a recurring 3-month calendar appointment to check your online profiles, confirm privacy and permission settings on the social media sites you subscribe to and review any apps that you’ve downloaded.