Top 5 ways teens are getting into trouble online (and what you can do)

Here’s a look at five ways teenagers jeopardize their online safety and security, and tips on what you can do to keep them protected.

The internet has provided teens with a myriad of new ways to get in trouble – like they needed any extra help! Security company CyberDefender has put together a list of the top five ways that teens get in trouble together with some tips to keep them on the straight and narrow:

1. Meeting people and playing games on Facebook
2. Chatting with strangers via instant messaging/social media
3. Using peer-to-peer networks to download copyrighted content
4. Trying to get a free iPad, PlayStation 3 or similar gadgets
5. Checking the “Keep me signed in” box in public PCs; leaving files/passwords behind

1. Meeting people and playing games on Facebook

From connecting with strangers to catching viruses, Facebook makes it easy for kids and problems to connect.

Tips from CyberDefender:

• Go over Facebook’s many privacy settings with your teen. They need to understand that even if only friends have access to their pictures, friends of friends will still be able to copy and pass them around. A detailed guide can be found here
• Tell your teen to never give his or her login information to strangers. In fact, ANY kind of information, personal or not, given to someone they don’t know can lead to trouble. At the very least, your kid could have his virtual currency stolen (he’ll tell you what that is). At worst, his or her real identity could be at risk due to malware infections (called trojan horses) spread through malicious status updates
• Educate your teens on Facebook scams related to gaming (i.e. FarmVille Secrets). Otherwise, teens risk will either downloading a nasty Trojan or exposing their Facebook login to criminals
• Teens should understand that cheating on Facebook games is often used as “bait” – it’s always better to play fair and respect the rules of each game

2.  Chatting with strangers online

Teens have always been social creatures, and the internet simply provides them with additional ways to keep in touch with their buddies … and sometimes with complete strangers too. The risks are obvious and the consequences can be scary.

Tips from CyberDefender:

• Total strangers cannot be trusted. Make sure your teen understands that it’s important to know them IRL (in real life) before accepting a chat or friend request
• Here’s a basic rule: Tell your teens they shouldn’t say – or do – anything in a chat that they wouldn’t do in front of you
• Help them keep their personal information on a “need to know” basis. Teens should never be giving our any personal information to anyone unless they know them personally.  Caution can protect teens and their family from possible harm

3.  Using peer-to-peer networks to download copyrighted content

Teens have been using P2P networks to download music and movies since Napster popularized file sharing in the late 1990s. It’s of questionable legality (see Wikipedia for more details) and P2P networks are often used to distribute malware.

Tips from CyberDefender:

• Malware authors (evil programmers) are ready to trick P2P users with malware in disguise – virus, trojans and fake antivirus software hidden inside P2P files
• Keeping an updated security solution running at all times is the best way to prevent infections via P2P networks
• Tell the kids to avoid BitTorrent sites as well. Even legit, non-malicious trackers can be compromised. “Drive-by” downloads are often found in such ads and can infect computers without any sort of user input. Visit site à get infected automatically
• Discuss the topic with your teens in clear terms: besides being ethically wrong and likely illegal, pirated content can do real damage to the family’s finances if PCs get infected because of it
• Stress the fact that pirated material should never be an option – show them legitimate alternatives such as iTunes, Hulu and Netflix streaming

4.  Trying to get a free iPad, PlayStation 3 or similar gadgets

Ah, the temptation. Shiny new gadgets for free or at a fraction of the usual price and all a teen needs to do to get them is <insert scam details here>.

Tips from CyberDefender:

• Naturally, getting things for free becomes an attractive proposition if you have no money. Parents should keep in mind that cyber criminals understand this very human trait and will do everything they can to take advantage of it
• Many “free” offers ask your teen for their cell phone numbers. Don’t let them do it. Most likely, every month a high dollar amount will be charged for a service your teen didn’t know they “subscribed” to.
• If an online offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is
• Help your kids spot “real” giveaways – those sponsored by known, major brands like Amazon, Netflix and Zappos
• Keep a security suite (security software) fully updated, since most can catch phishing attempts (when a site pretends to be a respectable site, but isn’t – like a bank)

5. Checking the “Keep me signed in” box in public PCs; leaving files/passwords behind

Not all kids are armed with a smartphone and, when without internet, the easiest way to update their Facebook account is to use a public-access computer – and, as Marc Saltzman recently explained in a post Is it safe to check email on public computers? that can be risky.

Tips from CyberDefender:

• Public PCs can easily be infected with malware – not to mention “keep me signed in” boxes that leave a teenagers’ social profiles wide open to strangers
• Talk to your teens about the very real need to always “log off” out of Gmail, Facebook and any other communities they’re part of if they use public PCs
• Carefully review your teen’s Facebook privacy settings with them. Error on the side of caution – Tell them it’s not safe to let “friends of friends” see their birthday, cell phone number, etc.  All of this information could be used in an attempt to impersonate and steal their identity
• Only friends should have access to the more personal layer of information we all have. Tell your teen to choose his or her friends wisely – “serial friending” can quickly lead to loss of privacy or worse consequences

Parents: are you concerned about the possibility of your teen getting into trouble online? Do you take any precautions in order to prevent your teen from compromising their Internet safety and security? Or are you a parent who lets their teen have free reign over what they do on the computer? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Source: CyberDefender