Staying Safe Online During the Lazy Days of Summer

By Lori Wright, CEO, Family Healthcare

As children and families enjoy the summer break, there is a lot to look forward to: enjoying outdoor activities, relaxing with family and friends, sleeping late, and possibly spending more time online. With more downtime, there is more time to surf the web.

Time online is a maze of perks and pitfalls, like a video game where villains lurk while heroes swoop in to save the day. Not everyone you meet online has your best interests in mind.

Parents play a significant role in the online safety of their children by being good role models, setting limits, monitoring computer usage, investing in high-quality child protection software, and most importantly, having informed conversations that will help equip kids to safely navigate in a world of online predators. Parents, make sure you have regular discussions with your children about the importance of internet safety. It’s the best way to keep them away from the harm the internet can do.

With online predators getting more and more clever about how they go about their business, how do we outsmart them? In order to keep ourselves safe while using technology, we can follow the acronym SMART:

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S: Stay safe!

Don’t give out your information to anyone you don’t know.

M: Don’t meet up!

Meeting up with strangers from the internet can lead to unpredictable and unsafe situations.

A: Don’t accept!

Accepting files from sources you’re not familiar with can give hackers access to your personal data or even install bugs in your device.

R: Reliable?

Check your facts before believing anything you see online. People may not always be telling the truth.

T: Tell someone!

Tell someone you trust if something doesn’t seem right in your online communications.

Remember that the internet can be a great source of information and entertainment, but there are people out there who will ruin the experience for you. It is your job to keep yourselves and your children safe online so you can continue to thrive in your virtual environment.

Lori Wright is the CEO of Family Healthcare. With more than twenty-five years of experience in community health, she is passionate about developing equity, where everyone is able to access high quality integrated primary health care. Family Healthcare’s mission is Making Lives Better, and as CEO, Lori’s efforts are focused on improving the overall health of patients and the communities that Family Healthcare serves.

Lori serves on a variety of committees across the state and throughout Washington and Iron Counties, including the St. George Area Chamber Board of Governors, Dixie Tech Pharmacy Tech Advisory Committee, and Association of Community Health Center’s Board. She also serves as co-chair of the AUCH Health Center Control Network. She is a Certified Medical Practice Executive by the American College of Medical Practice Executives and has received a BS in Community/Public Health and a Master of Public Administration from the Marriott School of Management.