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9 Questions you need to ask your kids about online safety

#Tips & Guides #Parental Tools
Do you want to get your kids talking about cyber security? Try asking them the following question. Cyber safety for teens, cyber security, and online reputation protection are all key components to ensure the safety of you and your family's data.

You will need to squeeze an answer, it won't be easy but I promise you'll be surprised with their answers! After you have an honest discussion with them check out our 10 internet safety rules that we specifically created for families.

 

Question #1 : Do you think you have something valuable to steal?

Talking points: 

a) YES! more than 1 million children become victims of identity theft or fraud each and every year.
  • Two-thirds of those victims are age 7 or younger.
  • Six in 10 child victims personally know the perpetrator - more often than not it is a family member.
b) A child’s identity is the most valuable to cyber criminals because they don’t have a bank account or financial history - they pretty much have a “blank slate” that doesn’t draw too much attention when fraudulent accounts are opened on their behalf.
 
 

Watch this true story (played by an actor)

 

 

This is how the attack happened 

 

Question #2: What are the chances you will get hacked?

Talking points: 

Dixie D’Amelio’s account was hacked and deleted. She had over 46 million followers on TikTok! Following the hack she wrote: “I guess dixie123 was a bad password.” I don’t know if this was her actual password or she was just kidding, but many teenagers are still in the mindset that no one will hack them. Even when they have millions of followers…

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Unfortunately, cybercrime is rapidly growing and the chances of getting hacked are high. Among notified breach victims last year, 39 percent of minors became victims of fraud, versus 19 percent of adults.
 
Remind your kids that you share the same Wifi and if they download free game cheats or tokens, everyone at home may get hacked!
 

 

Question #3: Do you accept friend/follower requests on social media from strangers?

Talking points: 

Your friends online may not be who you think they are. Talking to someone in person isn’t the same as Online, they may have been hacked.
 
A few things to look out for when you get a friend request.
  • Do you have common friends?
  • The amount of followers vs following? If the number of “following” is significantly more than “followers”, this usually means it’s a fake account.
  • Are there any inappropriate pictures?
  • Do you share the same interest?

Scammers can create social media accounts with the same name and thumbnail of your favorite YouTuber... Can you spot the difference between the Real Account and the Fake Account? Apparently YouTube and many other social media platforms allow duplicate user names and thumbnails. So obviously scammers take advantage of that to post phishing links. Phishing links are everywhere... not just emails. YouTubers are today's celebrities and kids will easily click on a "suggestion" made by a YouTuber they follow... That is why raising security awareness is so important.

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Question #4: Have you ever received a scam message on social media?

Talking points: 

If you taught your kid not to take candy from strangers, you should also teach them not to accept free game tokens from people online. Many scammers offer freebies such as v-bucks, free skins, followers, and so on... remember there are no free gifts. If you are offered something for free, then most likely it is a scam.
 

Free V-Bucks Scam

 
 
 

 

Question #5: Do you know any kids who hacked other people?

Talking points: 

Some kids hack for fun, ego, money, boredom, or just to see how far they can go. Reinforce that hacking is illegal and although it may seem fun to some, the impact of getting caught or losing your identity can be a life-changing moment.

 

Question #6: Do you know of kids who have sent inappropriate pictures of themselves or others?

Talking points: 

Inform or remind the kids that sending or receiving inappropriate pictures is against the law. This is considered child pornography and even kids could end up registered as sex offenders.
 

 

 

Question #7: Do you chat with others while gaming? 

Talking points: 

You will be surprised but many apps have chat built into them,  even apps like Roblox or others that are very popular among younger kids.
 
 

Question #8: Do you know gamers who use cheats? Is that hacking?

Talking points: 

a) Sometimes cheats can come with extras, like viruses, and can be used to steal your information and or identity.
 
b) If the cheat provides a gamer with something that should normally be paid for, then it is unethical and possibly illegal.
 

Question #9: If you think you are being hacked or scammed should you report it? And to who?

Talking points: 

If you think you are being hacked or scammed you should notify your parent(s) or teacher immediately. Once a cyber criminal has access to your device it is easier for them to hack the school, home, or parent's work computer.
 

 
Gabriel Friedlander

Gabriel Friedlander

Gabriel Friedlander is the Founder & CEO of Wizer, whose mission is to make basic security awareness a basic life skill for everyone. Wizer has been rapidly growing since being founded in 2019, and now serves 20K+ organizations across 50 countries. Before founding Wizer, Gabriel was the co-founder of ObserveIT (acquired by Proofpoint). With over a decade of experience studying human behavior, he is a prolific content creator on social media, focusing on online safety to elevate public understanding of digital risks. His engaging 1-minute videos have captured the attention of millions worldwide, going viral for their impactful messages.

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