What Is Online Safety?
Before we talk about the necessity of Online Safety, we must know what it entails. Online Safety refers to being aware of the nature of possible threats that one could encounter while engaging in activity through the Internet. These could be security threats, protecting and managing your data, online reputation management, and avoiding harmful or illegal content.It is what we call the appropriate approach to personal safety when being exposed to digital technologies. Whether you call it E-safety, Online Safety, or Internet Safety, they all mean the same thing.
In simple words, it refers to the act of staying safe online and being aware of the threats and dangers of the internet and being able to self-protect from computer crime.
Being safe online means individuals are protecting themselves and others from online harm and risks, which may jeopardize their personal information, lead to unsafe communication, or even affect their mental health and well-being.
Why Is Online Safety Essential?
The internet can be an unforgiving place. Aside from the more obvious risks such as online bullying, grooming, or device addiction, there are a lot of problems that we have to give heed to. The way children are engaging with the online world means that we have to take stock of their mental health and wellbeing, the type of content they are viewing, and what they are posting online.Online safety methods include the heightened concern around fake news and what impact social media influencers may be having on our children’s behavior. It also consists of the ongoing debate about whether online gaming and specific features of online gaming, such as loot boxes and skins, are categorized as gambling and are encouraging gambling habits in children.
Even though apps loom larger in most people's daily online interactions than traditional websites do, that does not mean that the primary Internet safety rules have changed. Hackers are still on the lookout for personal information they can use to access your credit card and bank information.
Unsafe surfing can also lead to other threats—from embarrassing personal comments or images that, once online, are nearly impossible to erase to getting mixed up with people you'd rather have had nothing to do with.
Here are 6 useful tips to always keep in mind before stepping into the digital world:
- Always use strong passwords with a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. This method ensures that hackers don’t readily crack them.
- Keep your personal information and details very limited and professional. Upload what’s necessary and be very careful who or where you upload it.
- Be very careful about what you download. Sometimes some numerous intriguing apps and ads will lure you with money or other exciting rewards. People usually fall prey to these and end up releasing their credit card or bank information and end up a victim of online fraud. Therefore, it is essential to always download anything that is not secure.
- Make online purchases only on secure websites, as half the shopping websites today are nothing but scam where cyber criminals mostly lurk around.
- Be careful who you meet or converse with online. It’s tough to trust people in this generation, and not all people online turn out who they claim to be.
- Be aware and careful of what you post on the internet because it doesn’t take long for a particular thing to spread and go viral on the internet. Don’t make a careless mistake and upload something which you don’t want your family to see.