Cyber Defense eMagazine May 2019

Let’s take a look into a kid’s exposure to the so-called world of internet.
You’re Kid and the Internet - An Inside out!
A study back in 2015, revealed that teens spend nearly nine hours using social media, while kids between
8 and 12 spend an average of six hours per day; what about yours? Find it out, not only hours but his/her
online practices.
When your child is online, normal safeguards and security tips are not enough! You may think your kid is
playing a game, researching a paper, or just typing a homework, so, how could he/she be harmed?
You are right to an extent, but what if, while playing a game, the child unknowingly click a malicious
notification - reflecting a mesmerizing edition of their favorite game- or unintentionally delete your
important file? There could more “what ifs,” the worst is when your child doesn’t realize what has
happened and don’t share with you because of being punished.
Get to know them ASAP!
Is Your Kid at Risk While Online? These Figures might be of Help
If you think, malware, spyware, and other cyber-attacks are adult-only, then you are wrong; anyone with
a high level of trust and limited knowledge is hackers’ best target. The propensity of threats increases
when kids and teens are active in chat rooms, video streaming, social-media surfing, and online gaming.
To play our part in the manner expected, we should know the internet consumption practices of our young
minds; thanks to iamcybersafe.org for conducting a comprehensive internet usage survey among kids of
grade 4-8.
Let’s see what the survey holds;
31% of kids download adult music.
21% watched adult programs.
29% of kids use the internet inappropriately (something their parents won’t approve.)
6% shopped online with a credit card without their parents’ consent.
2% searched for the adult content.
62% clicked to adult site after a search.
53% access the internet other than homework every day
31% lied about age to stream restricted content; isn’t a status offense?
The same study has also revealed that 40% of kids chatted to strangers online; let me brief how much
information they have shared already.
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