Better Internet for Kids

Throughout the summer, both parents and children engage with the digital world in unique ways. For children, it's a time of increased play, both offline and online, and an opportunity to build social connections. For parents, it often involves taking a break, planning trips and activities, and finding ways to entertain and engage the whole family. 

With this increased digital activity, it's important to be mindful of how we use online tools during the summer months. To assist parents and caregivers in navigating the digital landscape and ensuring a safe and enjoyable summer, the BIK team has launched the #DigitalSunScreen campaign throughout August. The initiative aims to raise awareness and provide essential tips for digital safety during the holiday period. 

In this first article of the #DigitalSunScreen campaign, we offer a guide for parents and caregivers choosing to travel this summer. 

Essential tips for parents: Keeping your family digital safe while travelling

#1. Pack only the essentials

When preparing for your family holiday, focus on bringing only the devices you really need. Fewer devices mean less things to keep track of and protect. If something goes wrong, you know you’ll have a device safe at home from where you can easily access your accounts and data.

#2. Back up and remove your data before you travel

• Back up your data. Before you head off on your trip, make sure to back up all the data on your devices. This will give you peace of mind if your devices are lost or stolen, as your latest data will be safely stored.
• Consider removing data. Once you've made a backup, think about removing sensitive data from devices you will be travelling with. This way, even if your devices fall into the wrong hands, hackers won't have access to valuable information.

#3. Password-protect your devices

• Update and secure your devices. Before your trip, ensure all family devices have the latest software updates and strong passwords to protect your personal information. 
• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA). Enable 2FA for an extra layer of security. This is especially important for devices your children use, as it provides added protection.

Strong passwords and 2FA will make it much harder for potential thieves or hackers to access sensitive information, if the device gets stolen.

#4. Secure your family's internet connections

• Use public Wi-Fi safely. Public Wi-Fi can be convenient, but it is highly vulnerable to hackers. Equip your family with a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt your internet connection and secure your browsing. This is especially important for children who may use public Wi-Fi for games or applications.
• Avoid sensitive transactions. Avoid using public Wi-Fi to access sensitive accounts such as banking or financial sites. Educate your children about the risks of accessing such accounts on unsecured networks. 

#5. Beware of public devices

• If you can, avoid using public computers and tablets in hotels and airports. You can’t be sure who used these public devices before you or if they have any viruses or malicious software installed on them. This is especially important if you plan to access sensitive accounts like online banking, email, or social media. 
• If you do need to use a public device, make sure to log out of all accounts and clear the browsing history before you leave. When you get back to a secure device, it’s a good idea to change the passwords for any accounts you accessed on the public device. A password manager can help make this easier and help keep your family’s accounts safe.

#6. Use location services with care

• Only enable location services in apps when necessary. To protect your family's privacy, turn off location services in your device settings when you're not using them. The less hackers know about your location, the safer you are.  
• Disable geotagging and tracers. Geotagging adds location data to your photos and posts, making it easy for potential hackers to track your movements. Make sure to turn off geotagging in the settings of your mobile device. If they are on, potential hackers can track your every move and target you for robbery or elaborate scams. You can do this in the settings of your mobile device. 

#7. Make sure you log out from everywhere

Many hotels and Airbnb properties offer smart TVs with apps for popular streaming services pre-installed, making it easy for families to watch their favourite shows and movies while travelling by simply logging into their personal accounts.

If you do log into these apps, make sure to log out before you leave.  If you stay logged in, the next guest could access your account, view your personal information, or even make changes or purchases using your account, leading to unexpected charges. 

 #8. Sharenting: Sharing Vacation Photos Safely

When sharing holiday photos online: 

• Post after you return. While it's tempting to share the highlights of your holiday, posting real-time updates can alert thieves that you're away, making your home a target for burglars or leaving you vulnerable to scams while you're travelling. Those beautiful pictures can be posted once you get home. 
• Refrain from posting pictures that reveal personal information such as home addresses, school names, or car license plates, be it yours or of other people. Even seemingly harmless details can be used by identity thieves or burglars.
• Protect identities, especially of minors. keep your children's faces and names private. Ensure your children's faces and names are kept private when posting photos online. Children are especially vulnerable to online exploitation, and sharing personal details can expose them to unnecessary risks. Moreover, always ask for your children’s permission before posting their photos. It teaches them about consent and helps them understand the importance of privacy.
• Ask for permission. When posting pictures that include other people or other people’s children, always ask for their consent. This respects their privacy and avoids potential conflicts or misuse of images.

#9. Talk to your children about digital safety on holiday

While implementing these precautions, use the opportunity to educate your children about data privacy and the importance of staying safe online. For example: 

• Discuss privacy. Talk to your children about why it’s important to keep personal information private, both on vacation and in their daily lives. Explain how sharing real-time locations or detailed travel plans can make them vulnerable to risks like theft. 
• Set guidelines together and instill good habits.  Review apps’ security settings together and emphasise the importance of being cautious with all personal information they share online.

By having these discussions, you help your children understand the significance of digital safety and empower them to protect their own information effectively.

#10. Have fun!

Remember, digital security shouldn’t make your life harder or make you hyper-vigilant about the risks to your devices. On the contrary, by taking these simple steps ahead of time – and paying attention to the digital devices and services you use while you’re away – you’ll be able to properly relax, safe in the knowledge that you’re as protected as possible. 

Have a great trip!

For more information and tips to help you educate your children in the digital realm:

•  Visit our resource gallery, where we gather videos and educational resources for parents, caregivers and teachers.
• Check our Guide to apps to help you to stay informed about the most popular apps, social networking sites and other platforms that children and young people often use.
• Reach out to your national Safer Internet Centre for direct support, including a helpline that offers children and young people, parents and the general public pieces of advice on how to deal with harmful contact conduct and content.