CSE Monthly Educational Series-How to Keep our Kids Safe; Cerena Couglin, FBI Special Agent

(Audio available on lmcse.org)

Social Networking

• Largest digital divide currently - digital natives vs digital immigrants (those who came up in a culture where instant access to information was not possible)
• Kids these days have immediate access to information and people
• Our priorities differ from our kids, we want safety and they want speed and convenient access 
• Our kids are capable of being “immortal” a simple share of photo/video, that image could stay around forever 
• Be careful of how you share images and be aware of where they can end up
• Never give out personal information to people in public forms - Remember personal details can be revealed in details in your photos (school uniforms, sports uniforms, geotags)
• Default security settings are always set to the lowest, go in and change it
• Tell your kids to make sure a trusted adult is aware if they are planning to meet a person they only know on the internet (dangers of online friendships)
• Be aware webcams can be capturing images without your knowledge

Sexting/sextortion

• Sexting - Sharing sensitive or explicit images with someone else 
• Sextortion - images being coerced from someone by someone else who intends to use it for illicit use
• Be aware of exploitation, prevention is the best tool in our arsenal - a possibly uncomfortable talk goes a long way 

Online gaming 

• Gaming now also has a social networking component 
• Do not use personal info - what does your profile reveal, turn off location services
• Watch for viruses
• Limit who your kids are playing with 
• Dispose of devices carefully - make sure they are wiped before disposal  
• Number one victim of identity theft are children under 18, pull free credit checks for your kids

Cyber bullying

• Remember that there is a real human being on the other end
• If your child is a victim of cyber bullying remind them that it’s not their fault, it will get better and to never make a permanent solution to a temporary problem 
• For kids, knowing just one other peer cares makes all the difference
• Keep evidence of online bullying, bring the bullying to the attention of the platform as well
• Remind them not to retaliate 

In general

• Do not click on phishing scams
• Make sure you Google self/family members on regular basis to be aware of what’s out there
• There is no online delete key - If you wouldn’t want it on a billboard on I-95 then do not post it (if you wouldn’t want your grandma to see it, do not post it)
• Secure your wireless - change your passwords, use encryption ​