Keeping kids safe online

More children are using internet connected devices for schooling, play, and communication now than ever before, and it is vital that kids know how to be safe online.

To help parents teach their children about cyber security and take steps to protect their family’s devices, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has launched a ‘kids guide to using the internet securely’, full of simple steps to boost kids’ online security.

Assistant Minister for Defence, the Hon Andrew Hastie MP, warns that cybercriminals actively target children to exploit, and to steal money and personal information, and parents need resources to educate their children about cyber security, and to defend their families against online threats.

“Last financial year, nearly 90 per cent of cybercrime reports to the Australian Cyber Security Centre came from individuals and families, and there were over 1,100 reports of cybercrime made by or on behalf of children under the age of 18” Assistant Minister Hastie said.

“Cybercriminals are also targeting schools, where late in 2021, an Australian school was targeted in a ransomware attack, but thankfully, the school’s prompt actions to contain the threat meant that no ransom was paid and no data was stolen.

“Aussie kids are spending more time online - using internet connected devices for school, social media and gaming, so it’s vital the whole family knows how to be secure online,” Assistant Minister Hastie said.

“There’s a lot of internet connected devices in Aussie homes that may not be secure, so taking a few minutes to check security settings may save you a lot of time, stress and money should someone malicious seek to attack or compromise them,” Assistant Minister Hastie said.

“It’s never too early to start learning cyber secure behaviours like not sharing your personal information online and not clicking on links from unknown sources.

“The ACSC’s ‘kids guide to using the internet securely’ is full of ‘easy wins’ like using a passphrase or PIN to lock a device, and only downloading software and apps from official app stores,” Assistant Minister Hastie said.

The ‘kids guide to using the internet securely’ and other helpful cyber security information and advice for Australian individuals, businesses, and organisations, can be found at cyber.gov.au.

If you have been a victim of cybercrime, please report it through ReportCyber at cyber.gov.au/report.