Over on our social media channels, every Thursday we give parents handy tips and guidance on keeping their children safe online.
We've got a lot of information this week. Check it out below...
Setting Up Devices
With Xmas fast approaching some children will be getting new or upgraded devices, older devices may be handed to younger children. This is an ideal time to learn about the importance of setting up devices with parental controls in relation to the age of the child. Internet Matters covers all devices with very simple, easy-to-understand parental guides which you can find here and here.
Playstation Safety
Sony Playstation and Internet Matters teamed up to create a wonderful interactive quiz for children and parents to learn together about how to make the most of Playstation settings for safer gaming. This is a great idea to get conversations going and for you to learn more about the games your children play. Find more information here.
Online Scams - Two-Factor Authentication
Online safety includes scams, particularly related to security, identity theft and that's just the tip of the iceberg! As to be expected, criminals are becoming very clever at what they do and historic advice such as, 'check the web address, check for the green padlock (secure connection)' just don't work anymore. Web addresses can be spoofed, phone numbers can be spoofed - even two-factor authentication (2FA) is not a solution anymore.
Criminals often use simple social engineering tactics to trick a person into carrying out an action (e.g. urgency, fear, curiosity). A good example of this is linked and although this is related to Facebook, similar tactics have been seen on other social media. If/when you are talking to your child about security and scams it is vitally important to delve into these social engineering tactics which criminals use. If something gives us a sense of fear and urgency we need to stop and critically think. Find more information here.
What is Discord?
Discord has been around since 2015 and whilst it has normally been seen as the social media app for gamers, this has changed. Visits to primary schools all over the country have shown that Discord is very popular amongst UK children, not just for gaming, but used by many children simply as a means to keep in touch with friends and family.
If you have not heard of Discord before, find more information here.