Code Signing Best Practices
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Starting a conversation about internet safety isn’t easy and comes with many challenges. How early should you start talking to them about predators and cyberbullying? How young is too young? Will they understand the significance of what you’re trying to teach them?
Detective Cronister says kids and teens’ cyber awareness starts with you building relationships with them — the earlier (younger) the better. Communication is key to this process:
Talking to your kids about internet safety is a must in today’s connected world. According to Cronister:
“We already do this as parents naturally when we talk to kids about real life strangers, right? And, so, I have always said that we already do this, we just also need to discuss it the same way on the internet — about internet safety.”
So, how did he approach this conversation with his own kids? Cronister says he started talking with his kids about the differences between “good pictures” and “bad pictures.”
“That way, they know, ‘hey, that’s something that Dad said was a bad picture and it’s making me uncomfortable, so I’m going to close this out or I’m going to tell my dad.’ And just exposing them to the thought process that there is such a thing as a good picture or a bad picture, a lot of times will give them enough of a conscious about those things that they’ll come tell you if they saw a good or bad picture.”
Talking to your kids about internet safety is a must in today’s connected world.
Dr. Kshetri also shares that it’s always a best practice for parents to be part of their kids’ and teens’ online social networks. It’s about gaining visibility into their “friend sphere” without being overbearing.
“Maybe they can become their Facebook friends, for example. But if they become Facebook friends, they should let them know ‘I’m becoming your Facebook friend, but I’m not spying on you.’ So, this should be a clear line between us spying on children’s behaviors versus kind of observing in a way that is acceptable to them. So, I think they must be able to find some acceptable way so that there is less resistance from the children.”
But what about concerns regarding giving your kids and teens privacy? Surely, parents shouldn’t invade their kids’ privacy and be overbearing, right? Both Cronister and Kshetri agree that there needs to be a balance between privacy and personal freedom in terms of allowing kids to grow. However, Cronister is quick to emphasize that there must be a limit in terms of what parents allow their kids do:
“A lot of times, what I see with kids who are victimized is parents who have very few limitations on what their kids are allowed to do. So, it’s the 11-year-old girl who has a cell phone already and their parents think it’s just normal. They’re just supposed to have a cell phone, right? All kids have cell phones now. And the reality is, not really.”
Cronister continues, saying that the threshold for age appropriateness is lowering in our culture right now.
“I think the parents who are afraid of going against the grain in that respect are typically the ones who have problems because they don’t want to ‘invade their kids’ privacy’ because it’s good for them to have their own privacy. And I agree — to an extent. But I think there’s a middle ground: You can give your kids opportunities to have privacy and to be responsible, but at the same time not give them so much freedom that they make mistakes that are unfixable.”