The first thing we have to understand is that new technologies allow us to access any information without limitations and there are no physical barriers to protect us. This means that we can try to talk to anyone and anyone can try to talk to us.
Spectacular, isn’t it?
Actually, it is spectacular, but just as you wouldn’t talk to just anyone you pass on the street, we shouldn’t talk to just anyone on the Internet. The Internet gives us a false sense of security, as it seems that we can do things anonymously and without being identified, but beware, this is not the case.
Simplifying things, we can say that on the Internet we have everything at our fingertips, and we are within reach of everyone, good and bad, and it is from the latter that we have to learn to protect ourselves.
Now, how can we do it?
To see how to do this, we first have to differentiate them, and to be able to differentiate the good guys from the bad guys the easiest thing to do is to know what the bad guys are looking for in order to avoid them. Usually the bad guys are looking for money or information from adults that they can sell and get richer, but this is not usually a problem for you, the children.
So, why is it so dangerous to meet people on the Internet?
Well, the answer is simple, and all parents understand this, the most valuable thing you possess is yourselves. If some bad guy contacts you, what he is looking for is you and, as you can imagine, to do any kind of evil.
Now I think we are all clear that technology is amazing and wonderful, but that it can be used to do both good and bad things.
So how do we protect ourselves?
The answer is simpler than you think and is not based on technology (although it can help us), the main thing is to understand that we should not do anything online that we would not do in person (remember the false sense of anonymity). It is as simple as following the recommendations that I am sure you have heard a thousand times:
- Do not talk to strangers and never give personal information. Even through the game chat; we can talk about things in the game, but if they ask you any other question or ask you for any other information, it is better to cut the game and play with other people.
- Social networks, yes, but with private profiles, without exposing our information to the whole world and sharing only with our friends.
- For “Youtubers”, “bloggers” and similar, that is, for those of you who expose yourselves publicly on the Internet: Here the thing is more complicated, the ideal is that the profiles are private and only share with our friends and in the case that we want to share something publicly, do it in such a way that we can not be identified (in the videos that we do not see our face and never include personal information).
- Always be wary of “super offers”, gifts or super urgent mails. Nobody gives anything away and there is nothing so urgent that it can’t wait to tell your parents about it.
In order to be able to apply all these tips, the most important thing is that you should start with the new technology with your parents and count on them for any doubt or problem that may arise over time.
Think that if your parents limit your access, it is to protect you from those bad guys out there. Consciousness means that we care about our thoughts and we are always alert. Let us always be alert!
Now for some fun, here are some games where you can see cybersecurity issues in a fun way“https://www.is4k.es/de-utilidad/cyberscouts”.