WAUSAU, Wis. (WAOW)– Students are back in the classroom surrounded by all kinds of technology.
Whether students are using Google classroom or a social media app to communicate with friends, children are consuming the internet all the time. As their access to the internet continues to grow, there are a few things parents should be aware of.
It is recommended that families have a conversation and come to an agreement about internet usage. A great place for parents to start is by showing they are “walking the walk.”
“Well, you know a lot of it is practicing what you preach. If you want your kids to be safe, you have to be sure you’re safe as well,” said Chad Johnson, Assistant Professor, UW-Stevens Point. “Be mindful of what you are putting out there.”
Johnson says to revise privacy settings and go through friend requests to make sure users are only adding people they know.
“Your friend’s list is clean or that you haven’t accidentally accepted a friends request from a “bot” that’s a good place to start,” Johnson said.
While posting any back-to-school photos, be careful of posting too much information. Important dates or even the names of household pets are often keys to your accounts.
“Online scammers that are out there, a lot of common security type questions to financial accounts then to do with family or family related things,” said Michael Allard, Detective, Marathon County Sheriff’s Office. “That information can be used to maybe gain access to your financial accounts.”
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