9 Online Password Safety Tips To Teach Your Kids
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We all know that we should create passwords that are really difficult to figure out, but have you talked to your kids about online password safety? Our kids are very tech savvy, so I think we often forget that there are some tech tips that we should know. Online password safety is one of them.
I’m taking this opportunity to educate my 4 kids about online password safety and here are 9 tips I’m sharing with them.
Online Password Safety Tips
1. Do not use real words. If you create a password like, “videokid,” that is too easy to figure out especially if you love video games. This would be better, “1v5i3d8e8o5k1i7d.” I added a number between each letter.
2. Do not use your name. VideoMatt is a horrible password. You should never use your name in a password…EVER!
3. Do not use the name of the website or software. If you are creating a password for Facebook, using videoFacebook or even videoFB is not a good password.
4. Do not use your birthday. This is too easy to figure out. Your friends know this information and it is just too easy to figure out.
Giving out your password could make you a victim of cyberbullying.
5. Do not share your password with anyone. This includes your best friend. It may seem like an innocent thing to do, but it is never a good idea. Once someone has your password, there is a lot they can do with your account. The only person who should every know any of your passwords is your parents. When someone goes online with your password and pretends to be you, that is another form of cyberbullying.
6. Do not write down all your passwords and keep them in your wallet or purse. If someone were to steal your wallet or you lose it, they will have access to everything. When I write down passwords, I keep them in a place where no one will expect them to be.
7. Do not use the same password for every site. If you use the same password and one of your passwords is compromised, then they will have access to your information everywhere.
8. Use a combination of small and capital letters, numbers and characters. A great password would be, ak380KA36. If you are concerned about remembering your password, think of a saying or quote that you like. Create a password using the 3rd letter of every word and add a number in-between the letters. The password will mean something to you, but not to anyone else.
9. Be sure to change your passwords often. On social media sites and email, I change my password monthly. For sites I do not use as often, I change them every 6 months.
Knowing how to create a secure password is an important child identity theft tip. One that is often overlooked, but online password safety is a first line of defense against identity theft.
It’s important to protect your online identity with secure passwords. Identity Guard® can help you protect yourself against the thread of identity theft. With kID Sure℠, your child will be protected against ID theft also. Go here for more resources for identity theft victims.
Be sure to follow Identity Guard on Facebook & Twitter.
Disclosure: As a kidSure Ambassador, this service was provided to me for review at no charge. In addition I received monetary compensation. All opinions are my own.
Let’s Talk About Online Password Safety!
Do you take any or all the above precautions with your online passwords? Do you have any tips to add? Be sure to share these 9 online safety tips with your kids.
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Thats some great advice and not just for kids although it makes sense to teach kids password sense from an early age in the same sort of way we used to teach kids not to talk to strangers!
Wonderful tips! I recently got hacked and I think is a big help. Have you ever been hacked? Feels horrible. I hope it won’t happen to you.
Thanks for sharing!
-Daniel
great article
shared ontwitter
It’s our job to be sure that our kids understand how bullying can hurt. It may seem innocent, but it isn’t.
Children are very vulnerable to identity theft especially when they are left alone to use the internet. Although I would personally supervise 7 year old children (creating passwords for their site which I would also keep from them, so I can control the time and use of the computer), teaching the older ones with precautionary safety measures is a must. Putting them on their guard against cyber dangers and preventing these things is always better than cleaning the mess later.
What scares me more is when they are at someone else’s house who may not have the same precautions on their computer as we do here.