September means backpacks, school lunches, homework—and a lot more time online.
Students increasingly use connected devices for research, assignments, communication, entertainment, and staying in touch with friends. With that increased screen time comes a good opportunity for families to review a few basic online safety habits.
Here are six simple conversations worth having as everyone gets back into their routine.
1. Keep Personal Information Personal
Remind children and teens to be cautious about sharing information like their home address, school, phone number, passwords, or current location online.
Even information that seems harmless can reveal more than intended when combined with other posts.
2. Use Strong, Unique Passwords
Using the same password everywhere can make multiple accounts vulnerable if one password is compromised.
Encourage everyone in the household to use strong, unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication whenever it’s available.
3. Think Before Clicking
Unexpected messages, contests, account warnings, and links can sometimes be attempts to steal personal information.
If something seems suspicious, don’t rush to click. Go directly to the company’s website or app instead.
4. Keep Devices Updated
Those software update notifications are easy to ignore, but updates frequently include important security improvements.
Keep computers, phones, tablets, browsers, and other connected devices up to date.
5. Talk About What Happens Online
Online safety isn’t only about technology.
Having open conversations about social media, gaming, privacy, inappropriate content, and interactions with strangers can help young people recognize when something doesn’t feel right.
Make sure they know they can ask for help.
6. Don’t Forget Your Home Wi-Fi
Your Wi-Fi network is the connection point for many of the devices in your home.
Protect it with a strong password, change default administrator credentials where appropriate, and avoid sharing your primary Wi-Fi password unnecessarily.
Make Digital Safety Part of the Routine
Back-to-school season is a fresh start for the entire family.
Along with organizing schedules and getting homework spaces ready, take a few minutes to review how your household stays safe online.
A reliable connection keeps your family connected. Good digital habits help keep that connection safer.
