Safer Internet Day: Together we can make 2024 a good year for you and your family’s cybersafety

The first Tuesday of February 2024 marks the 22^ndannual celebration of Safer Internet Day (SID), a highly anticipated event in the online safety calendar that began as an initiative of the EU SafeBorders project in 2004.

Our online activities leave us and our children vulnerable to a range of cyberthreats, including data breaches, scams and identity theft. These threats continue to evolve and claim more victims every year, making Safer Internet Day a landmark event meant to raise awareness about digital risks and help individuals establish good online practices.

“Together for a better internet” is the slogan of this year’s SID celebration that encourages kids, parents, teachers, and everyone else to come together and discuss their online concerns and help create a safer digital environment where everyone can learn, communicate and play.

Here’s a short list of Bitdefender’s top safety tips that can help you and your family members (young and old) stay safe from new and existing online threats:

• Safeguard personally identifiable information (PII): Educate kids, grandparents and youths on the importance of keeping personal information private and not sharing their contact information, home address and other sensitive data with strangers.
• Keep a clean digital footprint: Adults and kids alike should keep digital footprints to a minimum to maximize privacy and ensure a good online reputation that can benefit future relationships and opportunities.
• Reinforce strong password habits and use two-factor authentication: Make sure that you and your family understand the importance of securing online accounts and digital identities with strong and unique passwords to avoid account takeovers and hacks.
• Protect against phishing: Phishing attacks come in many shapes and sizes. Remind yourself and your family to never click on links or open attachments received in unsolicited emails, texts or messages on social media, or give sensitive information via unwanted phone calls. Know the warning signs, including urgency, requests for sensitive information, and use of frightening language.
• Stay in the know about the latest scams and technological advancements: Cybercriminals and fraudsters make use of technology to maximize the reach of scams. Learn how to tell the difference between legitimate videos and fake ones to safeguard data and money.

You can use Bitdefender Scamio for free to spot scams, protect your finances and security.  Read more about our AI-powered scam detector here.

• Encourage communication: Make sure that you and your loved ones always communicate about any concerns regarding online platform usage, websites or content.  Ensure that your kids can always communicate about things that make them uncomfortable or scared when interacting with the online world.
• Spot and report cyberbullying: Any form of online harassment should immediately be reported via the online platform and police when necessary. Ensure that you and your kids keep digital records of this behavior and never respond to bullying or retaliate.
• Review privacy settings for applications and platforms: Check the privacy settings for any apps that you and your family use, especially your children. Make a rule to always keep online accounts private and that strangers cannot make contact or engage in unwanted conversations with your youngsters.
• Use a security solution and parental controls: Keep your devices safe, filter inappropriate content and limit unhealthy screen time with a dedicated and comprehensive security solution