Safer Internet Day – help kids stay safe online

This time of year kids are heading back to school, often with new devices. The start of February not only marks the return to school for the year, but also Safer Internet Day, which is on 11 February. Safer Internet Day is an international campaign to promote a safer internet world-wide.

4 February 2020

Bringing devices to school to use for learning has become more and more common. But for parents, whānau and caregivers, it can be hard to know what to do to make sure those devices are safe and secure.

Safer Internet Day challenges us to think about how we can create a more positive online environment for our kids and their classmates. 

If you’re buying a new device for kids to take to school, talk to the retailer and make sure the device will still receive software updates for the next year or two, at least.

Teaching good security practices sounds hard, but most security issues can be mitigated using a few simple steps like setting up automatic updates and installing antivirus software. They don’t take much time, but they can make a big difference.

Teaching your kids good habits from the start can go a long way to supporting safer internet practices as they grow up.

Most of the habits are simple, such as:

  • making sure they have long and strong passwords
  • setting their device screen to lock automatically when they are not using them, and
  • making sure they only download apps from legitimate app stores and trusted websites.

These small – but incredibly important – steps will help protect your kids and support a safer internet for everyone.

CERT NZ and Netsafe have teamed up to give parents and teachers top tips to help kids stay safe online.

Download our tips about BYOD devices [PDF, 218 KB]

Read more about Safer Internet Day External Link