Back to school? 9 cyber safety tips for school devices and more

August and September are big back to school months in the United States and while you’re prepping your children’s backpack for their return with pencils and markers it’s also worth taking the time to go over safety tips for utilizing the internet.

Schools have become more and more steeped in their usage of technology rather than pen and paper course work, however they may not have the bandwidth to monitor how those devices are used 100% of the time. School IT will do the best they can to bridge the gap but it’s still up to us as parents to make sure our children have the tools they need to safely navigate our interconnected world.

Whether your schools have handed down iPads, Chromebooks or something else these 9 tips are worth noting as your children get ready for their first day of school:

1. Does the device have content filtering? While most schools will implement strong content filtering as part of their device roll out plan to prevent students from viewing inappropriate content, it’s still worth reviewing on your own end and reporting if there are any flaws to it with your school’s administration.
2. Does your child take their mobile phone to school? If your children have a mobile device they bring to school, we recommend taking the same measures you would with your own device and ensuring the lockscreen is enabled. A child is more likely to lose a device and the same rules apply with them as adults in protecting personal data that could be exposed via an unsecured phone.
3. Also be wary of theft. Theft happens in schools and an unattended phone or laptop could make an appealing target, make sure they know their devices should be with them or in a secure location at all times.
4. Strong passwords matter for kids too. It’s also not too early to get them started with a good password manager (and useful for you as a parent in maintaining access to your online children’s accounts). Here are our top 3 password manager recommendations.
5. So do updates. Again, as with your own devices, you should be making sure their devices are up to date on current software or firmware updates. Kids will not be as thorough in investigating something they’re interested in before downloading it (especially with online games). Automatic updates are a must for children’s devices.
6. Cyber bullying is another consideration. The Global Cybersecurity Forum has found that 72% of children worldwide have been exposed to one type of online cyber threat or bullying.
7. Children should be aware of online scammers too. If your child is old enough to have access to an email account (to setup a mobile phone you often have to setup an email too) or even if they just have access to text messaging, it’s a good thing to go over the fact that online scams exist and what to look out for.
8. Kids need backups too. Especially for middle and high school age students, saving their work may not be a given and losing it could be devastating (or at least will feel that way). If multi-page reports are a factor in your child’s life it’s worth making sure they’re writing them on software that will automatically save the draft, such as Microsoft’s Word or Google Docs. Both of these options save your progress as you write automatically.
9. Teach your children what to share (and what not to share) online. Social media can be a tricky thing to navigate even for adults but for children there are additional safety concerns. If your teen has reached the age that they’re asking to or have already created a social media account, it’s worth reviewing what information they’ve made available on it and checking it continuously. We recommend making sure your teen’s online accounts are made private and they know not to share things like their location or other PII (Personally Identifiable Information) on the web.

For parents and educators alike, we recommend following the SMART rules when it comes to online safety for your children and students. See and save the flyer below.

Stay SMART Flyer VTL 2024

Valley Techlogic is a technology service provider located in California and we have experience working with a range of businesses (including educational institutions) in support of their technology goals. Learn more with a consultation today.

Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.