ONLINE SAFETY AWARENESS FOR PARENTS

Internet can connect you and your family to all types of resources, wherein you can read the latest news, look up for the required information, do online shopping, do online booking of household items, listen to music, play games, buy things, or e-mail friends. The possibilities for learning and exploring on the internet are endless. However, not all information and resources are safe and reliable. Both online shopping and the downloading of software or files needs to be discussed with all members or supervised by adults to make sure your personal and financial information remains safe and secure. Though internet can be a helpful source of information and advice, but you and your family members can't trust everything you read. Anyone can put any information on the internet, and not all of it is reliable. Although some people and organizations take the necessary steps about the accuracy of the information what they post, but in parallel, some may give false information intentionally.
Important things to keep in mind while you and your family surf the web
a. Online information is usually not private.
b. People online are not always who they say they are.
c. Anyone can put information online.
d. You can't trust everything you read online.
Step 1 : Secure your home Wi-Fi network.
a. Change the default admin password with a secured one. b. Make sure your Wi-Fi device is highly secured c. Make use of a strong password for accessing your router. d. Enable wireless encryption to prevent strangers from "seeing" your network and restrict access to it. e Allow only specific devices to access your wireless network. f. Use filtering options to avoid unnecessary websites with inappropriate content.
Step 2 : Make a common place to use computer for Children and Family
Step 3 : Set family rules for accessing internet.
a.Instruct your children to ask for your permission before they access the internet. b. Set a particular time in a day and also time limit per day or per week to use computer and other electronic devices at home under your observations.
Step 4 : Understand the need and set boundaries for online safety
a. access only those websites that are appropriate to visit,
b. use chat rooms and forums which can be monitored,
c.create usernames that never reveal true identity or that provocative,
4.create strong, unique and easy to remember passwords for online account,
5. never meet face to face with strangers who met online without informing the family, 
6. be careful of activities such as cyber stalking, bullying, etc., and strange behavior of computer and applications.
Step 5 : Pledge among family members for appropriate online behavior.
a. I will not share or post any sensitive information like phone numbers, names of family members, etc., that reveals family members identity.
b. I will not post inappropriate photos, videos or other things that may reveal our identity (for example: city or school names on shirts)
c. I will not respond to e-mails and attachments from strangers.
d. I will never meet in person with people I met online. In case if required I only meet along with my family members.
e As your parent/guardian/teacher, I promise to make myself available to you when you ask for assistance and will help you resolve any problems that may arise in any way that I can.
f.I commit to this pledge and help in my safety, my family safety and also my country safety.
Step 6 : Secure your computer by updating your operating system and software regularly.
a. Make sure you have security software that protects your computer against viruses, hackers, and spyware.
b.The software should be updated frequently, as new threats are emerging daily. Ideally, security that updates automatically.
Step 7 : Install antivirus, desktop firewall solutions against malware and unauthorized access.
Use parental controls Most of the vendor based tools provide parental control based tools. Use such tools and enable parental controls to filter and block inappropriate material and protect children from online attacks, exposing to risks, strangers, inappropriate content and other threats.
Step 8 : Back up your system
To make sure your data stays safe, you should be using a twofold strategy, which should include combining an external hard drive usage with an online backup service.
Step 9 : Use separate standard user accounts for family members.
It is recommended to use standard accounts for your family members to access computer to prevent users from making changes that affect everyone who uses the computer, such as deleting important files necessary for the system.
Step 10 : Create strong and easy remembering passwords for your accounts.
To create passwords that are strong unique and easy to remember a. Start by using at least 8 characters minimum
b. Use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols (all variety of keys in a key board including Capital and Small letters).
c. Passwords should be changed periodically to reduce the likelihood of a particular password being compromised over time.
d. Do not share your personal keys and type of passphrases to anybody.
Step 11 : Secure your web browser before accessing internet
e. Always choose a latest or up-to-date version of browsers.
In "browser settings", always consider the right settings for security.
f. Always block pop-ups and allow only for trusted websites depending on the requirement or temporarily.
g. Choose a private browsing session about a website, which you are not sure about.
Step 12 : Be careful online and don't click suspicious links
To make sure that clicking on dangerous links won't affect you and your family, check as you hover the mouse over the link to see if you are directed to a legitimate location or not.
Step 13 : Download and install software from trusted sources only.
Make a list of trusted downloading sources and have your whole family stick to it. Also, read carefully the license agreement before installing a new piece of software and make sure your kids ask for your permission before they download or install something.