Why Should Children Learn About Cybersecurity?

When was your first contact with the World Wide Web? Perhaps around your teenage years if you are a millennial or well into your adulthood if you are older than that. While that might have been the reality for many people, things are drastically different for children nowadays. Smart devices and access to the internet can become a reality before a child even utters their first words. However, the internet is vast and poses significant dangers to young users. This is where cybersecurity for children comes into play to teach them how to leverage the internet without falling prey to its dangers. Read on to explore 4 reasons that make cybersecurity awareness a necessity for the younger generation.

Dangers Of The Online Playground

The internet can seem like a fascinating place for children, full of colorful, musical, and interactive experiences. During the pandemic, many children found themselves in front of screens for longer periods of time, as even their education was moved to the virtual world. Specifically, a survey showed an increase of over two hours per day in screen time compared to previous years. However, extended exposure to the internet puts children at significant risk, as numerous dangers lurk. There are malware and viruses, cyberbullying, online predators, and inappropriate content, to name just a few. Children often lack the critical thinking skills and awareness needed to identify these dangers and protect themselves from them.

While this is an obvious reason why children should learn about cybersecurity, there are more that don’t immediately come to mind. Let’s see what those are.

4 Reasons To Teach Cybersecurity To Children

1. Cybercriminals Make No Exceptions

We often think that children are relatively safe on the internet because they are typically not the most common cyberattack targets. However, their ignorance makes them vulnerable, as they can inadvertently cause significant harm just by clicking on a suspicious link. Therefore, cybercriminals may target children so that they can gain access to their parents’ personal or even banking information. Moreover, children are increasingly becoming victims of identity theft, leading to long-lasting financial and legal consequences for themselves and their parents. Educating children about cybersecurity will raise their awareness of such dangers and teach them how to avoid them.

2. Adopting A Responsible Attitude Towards The Internet

Apart from learning about the dangers that exist in the online world, cyber awareness can help children build positive digital habits. This includes understanding the importance of creating strong passwords, protecting their data from unauthorized access, recognizing phishing attempts, avoiding suspicious websites, etc. At the same time, it can promote ethical behavior, teaching kids about being respectful of other users’ privacy, feelings, and property in online spaces. All in all, cybersecurity awareness can act as a guide for children, helping them use the internet in a way that benefits both themselves and other users.

3. Safeguarding Children For The Future

As technology advances, it integrates into more and more facets of our lives. This makes it imperative that everyone is caught up on cybersecurity best practices. Therefore, building responsible habits for online use at an early age is possibly the best way to prepare children for the rest of their lives. As they transition from accessing the internet for entertainment at home to utilizing it for schoolwork and eventually for professional purposes, they will be able to add to their knowledge and always be prepared to adopt new methods that will become essential for ensuring their online safety.

4. Opening Up Career Opportunities

Cybersecurity awareness can do more than help children stay safe today. It can also open doors to fascinating career opportunities in the future. As online threats and dangers grow in number and complexity, the demand for professionals in the field of cybersecurity will continue to rise. If we encourage children growing up today to develop an interest in online safety, it is possible that they will become the cybersecurity experts of tomorrow. Numerous professions are expected to take over the market in the years to come, including security engineers, cybersecurity analysts, ethical hackers, and more, with some of them already experiencing a rise in demand.

Challenges To Teaching Cybersecurity To Kids

The main challenge when educating children on cybersecurity is the technical and abstract nature of this subject. Terms like “malware” and “phishing” don’t mean anything to them, which is why parents and educators need to adopt more creative approaches, such as stories or analogies. For example, you can compare a firewall to a castle wall that keeps you protected. It’s also important to remember that your teaching technique must adapt to the child’s age. Stories are great for younger children, but preteens can and should start learning the technicalities of social media to stay protected. Another challenge is balancing fear and awareness. Presenting all the threats the internet poses can scare children from using it altogether. Learning about cybersecurity aims to raise awareness so that children feel empowered to take control of their online safety without causing anxiety.

Conclusion

The further we get into the digital age, the more important cybersecurity skills will become. From ensuring our everyday online activities are safe to potentially pursuing a career in cybersecurity, developing cybersecurity awareness is crucial for everyone. Today, we have the chance to teach children from a very young age about the dangers of the internet and equip them with the necessary skills to foster responsible online behavior. Hopefully, this article about why cybersecurity for children is important has convinced you to take the necessary measures to educate the young on the matter.