Kids, especially teens are glued to their smart devices, always surfing the internet. Social media, online shopping, emailing and accessing entertainment portals have become an integral part of their daily lives. Owing to this, it has become necessary to teach kids, how they can protect their personal data and stay safe online.
GDPR has been enforced with the view of providing better control of personal data to individuals, especially children. It is important to have knowledge about GDPR for each and every one who actively takes part in the virtual world. This includes not only adults, but children too. The GDPR is however quite complex, which makes it difficult to explain to kids.
Here are some tips which will help you explain data protection and GDPR to your kid:-
- Explaining Clickbait and Phishing Sites
Phishing sites are the ones that tend to infect devices with software and malware that help hackers to access personal information of the user. These sites often use catchy headlines like “The one app you must have on your phone”; known as clickbait. Catchy clickbait headlines fool readers into submitting their personal information required by hackers.
To avoid running into such sites, you must teach your kids to check the validity of websites and identify phishing sites. Some ways to do so are:-
- Check if the website has a social media presence
- Open e-mails only from familiar senders
- Do not access emails or websites with links to other websites
- Practicing Password Protection
All personal data on virtual platforms are protected by passwords. So, it is crucial to teach your kid some basic password rules that can help save their personal data online.
- Never reuse passwords for various different sites
- Do not share passwords to social media or entertainment sites with friends
- Promote the use of password managers which will allow your child to keep a track of their passwords, provide extra security and also help them create strong passwords that cannot be hacked easily
- Software Downloading Protocols
Downloading pirated content illegally has ethical concerns. They also pose the risk of infecting the device with viruses and malware. These not only damage your device, but may also steal personal data. To avoid this, here are things that you can do:
- Install anti-viruses on your kid’s device
- Teach them to access content through genuine services
- Make them familiar with the implications of downloading content illegally
- Online Shopping Responsibility
Most teens prefer to shop online. However, if not done responsibly, this presents the risk of card theft and fraud. Thus, it becomes utmost necessary to teach the kids how to remain safe while shopping online.
- Teach them to judge the reliability of the online vendors
- Familiarize them with website analysis
- Encourage reading of product and vendor reviews
- Ensure that they always delete card information from the website and clear caches and cookies.
- Explaining GDPR
One must remember that the virtual world is very fickle and one may fall prey to a virtual theft. In such a case, you should ensure that your child is aware of the basic GDPR principles to avoid drastic consequences.
- Data Processing – As per GDPR, all data processing must be lawful and authorized by the individual. However, there are some specific cases where an organization can access the data. Your child should be aware that no individual can access their personal data without their consent.
- Rights of every individual – At many occasions, it is required that some personal data is shared with certain organizations, especially schools and offices. In such a case, there are certain rights that an individual has on their data.
- The right to know why the organization wants the data and their identity
- The right to know what data they have with them and ask them to amend it whenever needed
- The right to ask the organization to delete the data they have with them
- The right to question how your data is being used and to restrict its usage
- Accountability – All organizations are accountable to you. They must be able to prove that they have obtained your data lawfully. They are also liable to inform you and your child about any data breach within 72 hours.
- Transferring Data – An organization or individual possessing your child’s personal data cannot transfer it to others without meeting some specific requirements. Your consent on the matter should also be derived before the transfer is executed.
GDPR has delivered great power to individuals over their personal data. Once you and your kids become GDPR compliant, there are many GDPR consultants who will help in protecting your data online. In this virtual age, it is necessary to teach the kids about online security and safety.
source: http://iot.salon/2018/10/05/main-steps-teach-kid-gdpr/
