10 Internet Safety Facts Everyone Should Know

The Internet is a network, medium, or platform that connects people worldwide and helps them interact. The use of the Internet in every sector has increased at a fast pace. With the help of the Internet, we can do every little thing in the digital world. We can't even imagine our life without the Internet.

The invention of the Internet has made our life so convenient, and now it has become an integral part of our daily lives. Now the Internet is providing solutions to each of your problems.

Advantages of Internet

The advantages of the Internet are:

• Ease at flow information.
• It's a powerful search engine.
• Helpful in every sector (medical, education, government, defense, agriculture, etc.).
• Promote an online and offline business.
• The platform for online business, social media, E-learning, and other valuable information.
• Source of entertainment.
• Helps in learning, education, and research.
• IoT (Internet of Things)

Disadvantages of Internet

Like every innovation also brings challenges, the Internet is also one that carries many adverse effects. The Internet is a place to wander but also a place to be worried. There is much inappropriate and harmful content on the Internet that your kids may stumble on and harm a child's overall development. Here are the disadvantages of the Internet:

● Mature content

● Addiction to digital devices.

● Cyberbullying can lead to mental and physical health issues

● Online predators can cause you harm.

● Your accounts like banking, social media, and any other personal account can be hacked.

● Many online scammers.

● Kids may have a negative influence.

The Danger of The Internet

The Internet is full of opportunities, but with the opportunities, there are also some dangers that many children might not be aware of. There are many good things about the Internet, but it also has several drawbacks. Some dangers of the Internet which you must be aware of are:

Exposure to Inappropriate Content

The more time your kids spend on the Internet, the more chances of getting exposed to inappropriate content. Most of the time, kids get exposed to inappropriate content through pop-up ads that appear on their web browsers. Sometimes even due to curiosity, kids may search for such inappropriate content.

In a recent survey, 25% of the people searched for explicit content on the web browser, and 30% of the people downloaded the mature content. For underage kids, watching inappropriate content might be harmful to their mental and physical growth. Kids and teens might learn some inappropriate activities like drug abuse, fighting, bullying others, etc. They will have a negative influence on these contents.

Cyberbullying

The innovation of the Internet has also replaced it from physical or verbal bullying to cyberbullying. People are targeting and trying to bully others with the help of the Internet. Now cyberbullying has been one of the significant dangers of the Internet. It is similar to bullying in school, except it is online.

Cyberbullying is like sending malicious messages, giving death threats, trolling and spreading lies, making negative comments, etc., all on the Internet. Most of the targets for bullies will be kids because they are easy targets.

According to Paw research Center, 59% of US teens have faced cyberbullying. And the most common way of cyberbullying is by calling one offensive name, spreading false rumors, sending inappropriate images, etc.

Whether it is face-to-face bullying or bullying via the Internet, i.e., cyberbullying, it always has serious consequences. Anyone who has faced cyberbullying has affected them mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Identity Theft

Another danger of the Internet is identity theft. Everything you share on the Internet, from photos, videos, documents, or even text messages, will forever remain, even if you delete it. The main motive of identity theft is to obtain enough personal data and information from the individual to claim the individual's identity. They even take financial benefits by stealing your financial credential.

In major social networking sites, you provide a lot of detailed information. And not to forget, most of the information you share in public. This is the first way of getting trapped by identity thieves.

Here are the safety tips to stay safe on the Internet

● Don't share your sensitive data online

• Don't share your personal information

● Always check the website reliability

● Use Two-factor authentication and make your password strong as much as possible.

● Don't try to click any suspicious link

● Try to avoid any attachments

● Avoid public Wi-Fi

● Use encrypted connection

● Make your and your kids account private

● Aware you kids about internet safety

● Use parental control apps to protect kids, tweens, teens, and adult

● Use an adblocker extension or app to block any ads and link

Why Is Internet Safety Important?

Internet Safety plays a crucial role in keeping people safe online. On the Internet, there are many risk factors and threats that affect people of all aged groups. The majority of people are getting addicted to the Internet. Researchers have found that around 60% of teens are being the victims of cyberbullying.

They are facing mental health problems like anxiety and depression. Even tech-savvy kids can also be the victims of online predators and scammers. Hence, it can be said that the Internet has much danger if it is not used correctly.

Most social media sites are also trying to restrict underage children; they need to be 13 or over to use social media.

There are a lot of security options to protect kids and have a safe internet experience.As a parent, you should also educate your kids from the beginning about the threats and issues of the Internet and why you need to have internet safety?

You can also prevent those threats and issues. For this, you need to have prior knowledge about internet safety. Firstly, you should have control over your kid's device screen time. For example, you can limit internet time after school, restrict digital devices during family meals, take kids' devices before going to bed, etc.

Internet safety is necessary to prevent or block yourself and your kids from getting into any trouble. It's an act and technique to mitigate those harmful effects of the Internet and keep you safe online. This involves becoming mindful of the threats involved with your web activities and using a few techniques to prevent or avoid these dangers.

Internet security is often referred to as web security, cybersecurity, or e-security. Here we will provide you with handy internet safety facts that everyone should know.

10 Internet Safety Facts

1. Don’t Share Your Confidential Data

The Internet is a public place. Try to make your social media and other online accounts private as much as possible. It would be better not to share any personal details like home address, school, high-school name, phone number, mail account, etc.

Sending your confidential data like the password of any accounts, ATM pin code, bank account numbers, credit card numbers on social media sites, or any other messaging apps without encrypting can be risky.

If you share any private, confidential information on the Internet, cybercriminals will easily misuse your data. If you send some private security number or document online, make sure you encrypt the file before sending it.

2. Keep Your Privacy Settings on

All the things you find on the Internet like websites, web browsers, social media, Google Suite, and many other platforms have "Privacy Settings" to protect you from internet threats and help to keep privacy secure.

If your privacy settings are off, there is more chance you can be the victim of hackers. These privacy settings add an extra layer of protection for you and your credentials. It's easy to set up as every site has this setting to make users protected online. Make sure you have enabled your privacy settings.

3. Safe Browsing

The Internet is a place for online scammers, online predators, and cybercriminals; hence it's essential to practice safe browsing. They are well equipped with different methods to hack your account.

As people search many queries on the Internet, hackers can make a fake website as bait to steal your private data or account. You should know the reliability of the website. Make sure you have enabled the filter settings. This will effectively prevent malware, fake links, viruses, and other website scammers.

4. Create Strong Passwords

Passwords are one of the significant flaws in the whole Internet security system. People try to pick easy and less time-consuming passwords on the Internet. The more strong passwords are, the more protection they will provide.

Weak Passwords are always easy to hack, so create strong passwords that include upper and lower case numbers, 12 letters, and special symbols. Make sure you don't share your passwords with others. It's better to use different passwords on each different site and social media. Likewise, it would help if you changed your password quite often.

5. Use Cybersecurity Software

There are many cybersecurity software that helps to protect our data and privacy. It also provides an extra security service on the Internet. You can choose any best cybersecurity software.

If your personal information & data are public or in danger, the software will try to block those malicious acts and notify you about your stuff. Cybersecurity ensures that it's protected from identity fraud.

6. Practice Safe Purchase From Secure Sites

It's essential to do shopping from secure websites. As you purchase something from e-commerce sites, you provide your credit card or banking details. If you purchase from any fake website, your account might be hacked by scammers or hackers.

Thus, make sure you check the reliability of the websites. You can check whether the website is secure or not by "HTTPS," which indicates the sites are secured and verified. The "HTTP" indicated the site isn't trustworthy, so it's better not to do any online shopping on these types of sites.

7. Beware of Fake Account and Profiles

Many online predators, scammers, and hackers make fake accounts to hack other user's profiles. Every age group has become a victim of hackers. Many people are talking with strangers on online gaming and social media platforms.

They don't even know who they are, where they are from, and what's their background. Everyone should be careful of these kinds of profiles. Make sure you make your account private and don't accept these kinds of fake profiles. You can also use free people look up tools to verify them. In any case, always avoid clicking the link sent by an unknown user.

8. Avoid Free Wi-Fi

We can find many free Wi-Fi zones in public and private places. There is a high chance of getting your data and private account leaked by connecting to free Wi-Fi. You should avoid logging into free Wi-Fi and make sure you don't download anything from free Wi-FI. As it's not secure to use free Wi-Fi, but we often need to use the Internet.

If you are using free Wi-Fi, make sure you don't use any banking apps or purchasing apps. You can use VPN apps to make your connection more reliable and secure.

9. Keep Your Software Updated

It's essential to keep your software updated on all your digital devices like computers and mobile phones. Keeping your software updated helps make your device more protective and adds an extra security level to your digital devices. If you don't update your software, more threats and vulnerabilities will occur on your devices. Many devices are trying to bring more security options to digital devices. The more your digital device is up to date, the more security improvement you will see.

10. Make Sure Your Internet Connection is Secure

It's necessary to have a secure internet connection. The first thing starts with your ISP(Internet Service Provider). You can also use their apps to have a secure internet experience. You should use secure internet service and a good Wi-Fi router. Also, make your Wi-Fi password string hard to detect.

You can also use VPN. It changes your private IP address. It helps to encrypt our details and accounts. It makes a security barrier that makes it difficult for hackers to hack your account and details.

Conclusion

Therefore, the Internet is a prominent aspect of our lives. And not to forget every aspect has two sides, one is good, and another one is bad. The Internet also carries many harmful threats to people. Your kids may get addicted to mature content which will have negative impacts on their overall growth.

There are many apps to monitor smartphones. You can choose the best one for you. You can also use parental control applications for better digital parenting. It's better to keep your credential private and protected. Internet safety is necessary to protect you and your kids from its threats. Make sure you practice these internet safety tips. Subscribe to fenced.ai to learn more about online safety for kids . Here you can get many internet safety tips , parental control tips and many more. Hurry Up!!