Whitney Houston famously sang, "I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way." In today's world, that means preparing kids for a lifetime spent online. Educators at public schools in the United States aren’t teaching cybersecurity fundamentals to students, however, which is a mistake. Kids need to form positive cybersecurity habits early to protect themselves and others online, so it’s up to the adults in their lives to teach them at home.
How to Improve Cybersecurity in Schools
Most teachers in the US need training to become cybersecurity specialists, and many also need basic cyber know-how to help their students. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of the US Congress, cyberattacks on educational institutions are starting to affect the student's ability to learn due to disruptions. GAO's 2022 report states that school officials from around the nation reported that the threats their school districts face include data theft, DDoS attacks, phishing, and ransomware.
In the report, GAO recommended changes to the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security regarding how cybersecurity incidents are addressed, measured, and reported. It also recommended providing more cybersecurity training to educators and increased communication from the federal government about identified cyber threats and vulnerabilities.
Try These Family-Friendly Cybersecurity Resources
Since schools aren't yet equipped to teach kids about cybersecurity, it's time for adults to step in and teach cybersecurity fundamentals at home. Check out PCMag's five steps to establish a home cybersecurity curriculum. After researching, I found a few more helpful resources for parents and guardians to use to improve their cyber knowledge and impart safety lessons.
Firefox for Families
Mozilla's excellent educational site covers everything from data privacy to password management. While the hub's content and links are more about establishing healthy online behavior norms rather than upholding strict cybersecurity principles, there are warnings about the dangers of using public Wi-Fi (use a VPN!) and also expert commentary encouraging parents not to rely solely on software to monitor their child's online activities.
Once you've scrolled through the site and discussed the content with your child, download and sign the included family agreement plan, which asks the child to pledge to "keep it classy online," avoid misinformation sources, and talk to an adult in their life if they encounter questionable content online. Click here to go to start learning at Mozilla's site.
Parenting in Digital World
Verizon created this hub with a helpful age-specific guide for digital parenting. Find out how to go from using parental control software exclusively to monitor your child online to using common sense and conversation to support kids better online. There are also articles about getting your kid to put down their device and sleep, creating a child-safe smart home, and determining if an app is kid-friendly. Click here to visit Verizon's hub for parents.
Dark Fairy-tales for Modern Kids
VPN company Surfshark came up with an old-school approach to teach online safety—children's books. Surfshark reimagined four children's tales and created cautionary cybersecurity stories. The books, which address personal data security, identity theft, online radicalization, and cyberbullying, are available to download for free. Click here to read the stories with your kids.
Cyber Legends
This game-based learning platform, complete with teacher and parent resources, is free to businesses, parents, and schools in the US and Canada. The game encourages safe online behavior and explores several subjects, including password safety, identity theft, scams, phishing, and cyberbullying. Click here to play the games.
