Cyber Safety Lessons for Children Ages 6 and Under

It is never too early to start teaching your children about information security and internet safety; children are exposed to the internet and various online networks at a very early age. Give kids the toolkit they need to keep themselves safe with these cyber safety lessons that are age appropriate lessons for children aged six and younger. It is important to start teaching children about online safety early, and continue to give them updated lessons as they get older.

You may not think that children in kindergarten or younger need to know about information security and internet safety, but there are online communities targeted for children this young. I was surprised to see that my son's Leapster2 had an online component where he could interact with other children. Even if your child is not exposed to the internet or online communities yet, it is still a good idea to lay the foundation of information security and internet safety.

Incorporate cyber safety lessons into your stranger danger talk. When you caution your children about talking to strangers include information about talking to people on the computer or video game console. Let children know that people can pretend to be anyone on the computer. Give them examples and ask them questions to get them thinking critically about this concept. For example, if a person says they are a kindergartner and sends you a picture of themselves, does that make it true? The answer is no, it does not make it true because anyone can send a picture and say it is them.

Set limits on what information they can share. It is a good idea to have your child always use a fake name while they are participating in an online community. Explain to your child that their real name is on the list of information that they have to keep secret from everyone on the computer. In addition to their name make sure they know they cannot reveal their address, phone number, email address, age, names of family members, or city in which they live. You can let your child pick their fake name and stress that this is the only bit of information they are allowed to share.

Keep lots of secrets from online friends, but no secrets from mom and dad. It is very important to create an open dialog with your child about their online experiences. Although it is likely that your child age six or younger is not interacting with people on the internet or video game consoles without your supervision, this is a very important lesson to start teaching as early as possible. Talk to your child about what is appropriate and what is not appropriate. If you see a person asking for information or giving out too much information about themselves, talk to your child about it. Explain that it is wrong to ask for information from other people, and it is wrong to share information about themselves. Encourage your child to point out inappropriate behavior to you whenever they see it happening.

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