Do your teens like to surf the web?
They probably do. It’s a limitless source of information and entertainment. But do they know how to peruse this information superhighway safely?
Surfing the web safely isn’t just about protecting your teens from the hazards on the web. It’s also about keeping your PC or Mac safe from viruses and other malware. As you probably already know, removing viruses can be expensive. Your teens should be aware of this fact because they will most likely have a computer of their own some day.
I made it a priority to make sure that my kids were aware of dangers on the web at an early age. One of the things I taught them was that our computer would last longer if they took certain precautions on the web. This was a motivation for them because they liked using the computer and knew that if it broke down, they wouldn’t be able to use it for a while. Now this was sometimes a challenge for them because they wanted to download every screensaver, game, and digital doodad that they could find. (So did I π ). But it only took a few bad experiences to show them the folly of doing this.
The tips I offer in this post can help your teen understand some of the hazards on the web and guide them towards taking certain precautions to keep themselves and their technology safe. Be aware, however, that there is no way to be 100% safe on the web. It’s like Tolkien said in his book series, The Lord of the Rings:
βIt’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.β
The same is true for your computer. π
Surfing the Web Safely
I bet you like to surf the web.
There’s a lot of cool stuff out there on the internet, isn’t there?
Unfortunately, there’s also some stuff that isn’t so cool, stuff that can hurt you and your PC or Mac. π
I don’t know about you, but I hate it when my PC is down. It’s like my best friend is sick.
I sometimes have to spend hours trying to fix it. Then if I can’t, I have to pay to get it fixed and that can be expensive.
“How expensive?” you ask.
It can cost around $200 to get a virus removed from your PC!
When you’re an adult, I’m sure you don’t want to be spending that much of your hard earned money on repairs.
“But I have antivirus software,” you say.
Sorry, but an antivirus program only goes so far when it comes to keeping bugs out of your computer.
“I have a Mac and they’re safe from viruses,” you say.
Sorry again, but Apple released a statement recently saying that Macs are not 100% safe from viruses.
That’s why you have to take some precautions to keep your technology safe. That’s where this post comes in. In it, you’ll find some tips that will help you reduce the chances of getting something nasty on your computer. But before we do that, let’s look at how to keep you safe.
Keeping Yourself Safe on the Web
Be careful about who you chat with on the web. You don’t necessarily know who that other person really is that you’re chatting with. She may claim to be a 15 year old girl from Kansas, but in actuality, it is a 35 year old man who doesn’t have good intentions. So be very careful of your interactions on the web. If anyone makes you feel uncomfortable, report it to your parents right away.
Don’t give out personal information. This includes where you live, your phone number, and your last name. NEVER give your password to anyone (except your parents). That’s just a disaster waiting to happen. Also, make sure your usernames don’t include your real name. Instead, make up a fictitious name with your favorite character from a book, your pet, your favorite animal, or other things you like.
Don’t put anyone down on the web. “How does that affect me?” you ask. Because what goes around comes around. You hurt someone else and s/he will most likely try to hurt you. Also, some colleges these days investigate your social media interactions. By social media I mean Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. So you may hurt your chances of getting into college by insulting or attacking someone on the web. And anyway, put downs are not very nice so remember the Golden Rule.
Keeping Your PC or Mac Safe on the Web
Now let’s see how we can keep your computer safe. Keep in mind that you may heed all of these warnings and still come across a bad site. That’s okay. I’ve certainly found my share of bad stuff accidentally. Just show your parents the site and explain how you got to it.
Make sure your antivirus is up-to-date and running. This is one of your first safeguards against the dangers on the web. Whenever your antivirus needs to update, let it do so. Do NOT turn your antivirus off! If you need to install a program that requires it to be off, let your parents do it.
Do not surf the web in an Administrator account. Instead, you should be using a Standard user account. Using an Admin account on the web makes your computer more vulnerable to attack.
Be careful of where you go on the web. Hackers can be anywhere, but they tend to hang out in certain types of websites more frequently. Here’s a list of some of those sites:
- Online gaming sites. Not ALL sites with games are bad, but unfortunately there are some that have been hacked into. You just have to be very careful with where you play.
- Sites that offer free music and videos illegally. Yes, that means that you shouldn’t try to download a free copy of your favorite copyrighted song from the web. The site that you get it from will most likely be crawling with viruses. And besides that, downloading those illegal freebies is stealing, so don’t do it.
- Software piracy sites. These are dangerous for the same reason that sites with free music are dangerous. Avoid them like the plague.
- File sharing and peer-to-peer sites. These can also be dangerous, so try to avoid them.
Be careful of what you download. First of all, you should have your parents’ permission before downloading anything. As an adult, you’ll have to learn to resist the urge to download every game, wallpaper, song, picture, app, etc. that tickles your fancy. I know it’s a temptation, it is for me too, but always take a moment to consider whether you really need that app. Here are some of the reasons why you need to be careful:
- Malware, adware, and spyware are sometimes attached to software downloads. That’s why you have to read those exciting terms and conditions. You have to look carefully for sentences that claim that you are allowing them to install extras on your computer that you don’t want – like toolbars.
- Everything you download takes up space on your hard drive. When your hard drive gets too full, it sloooowwsss waaayyy dooowwwnnnnn.
Try not to click on pop-up ads. This is especially true of those ones that say, “Your computer has a virus” or something similar. Clicking on any part of these pop-ups (including the ‘X’ to close it) can actually cause a virus to be installed on your computer. Call your parents if one shows up on your screen. There are certain steps that need to be taken to close the pop-up safely.
Be cautious of ads and apps on social media sites like Facebook. Some of these have malware, so be wary of what you click on.
Websites aren’t the only source of viruses. Emails can have them too. This post on Email Savvy tells you what to avoid.
Remember, surfing the web safely will help keep both you and your computer safe, so tread carefully when traversing the internet.