Revisiting Cybersecurity

IN REMOTE LEARNING

WRITTEN BY RICK COBELLO

After almost a year of remote learning, most parents are tired of tinkering with computers and wondering if they are doing the right thing. In fact, most parents didn’t enjoy this before the pandemic! Cybersecurity is the responsibility of both the parents and teachers. This was not in your book of parenting over 12 months ago! Chromebooks, iPad, tablets, laptops have been the rule, not the exception for the past year. It is extremely crucial that parents refresh themselves to protect their children’s privacy, security, and emotional health. Even if your children are currently in school, an outbreak could mean remote classes in the future. Although school days may differ between districts and states, platforms like Zoom and Google Classroom have been common educational delivery methods. As a refresher, what should a parent do to continue to protect their child from an unfortunate cybersecurity incident? USE DISTINCT SCHOOL AND RECREATION ACCOUNTS It is easy to get lenient about your child’s school and play accounts when you are juggling your own work life with your child’s virtual school life. Try creating a division between online activities for school and leisure by making sure kids have separate email addresses. If they have an email address automatically created by the school district, a Gmail address through Google Classroom, for example, use that for all education apps and sites. Parents should make a clear difference between homework time and free time. In talking to parents, playing games with friends has significantly increased. Watch that closely! DON’T FORGET ABOUT AVAILABLE CONTROLS Parents were probably good at this at the beginning, but permission creep is likely to have happened. Periodically revisit the simple parental controls with site accessibility or limits on YouTube or gaming. If you are really adventurous, new wireless devices have parental controls. EDUCATING YOUR KIDS ABOUT PERSONAL CYBERSECURITY Kids are not immune from hackers that are eager to take advantage of current home situations. It is encouraged to talk to your children about passwords and personal information online or share passwords, even with close friends. Cybersecurity should be a part of every school curriculum. MAINTAIN CONTROL OVER THEIR PERSONAL DATA Parents should help manage their child’s personal data. Many parents do not have the time or just simply are not great with this activity. If you fall in this category, try reaching out to your child’s teacher or school IT department. CONTINUE TO EVALUATE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Does your child work in a quiet, interruption-free place with sufficient Wi-Fi? It is important that your child’s workspace is not only quiet with limited interruptions, but also well-lit so students and teachers have good quality online learning experience. It is also a place where you can evaluate interactions with your child and teachers. Protecting personal and private data is not a luxury, but a right of every parent and child. Rick Cobello is co-owner of Global Cybersecurity Solutions; globalcybersecuritysolutionsllc.com SF