With smartphones and tablets now widely accessible to most children, many of whom own these devices, kids are increasingly familiar with the digital world and technology from a very young age, therefore, it’s crucial for parents to stay informed about the latest cybersecurity threats targeting children to better protect them from potential harm.
To support this, Kaspersky experts have identified key cybersecurity trends parents should be aware of, offering advice on how to safeguard their children’s online activities. Here are the details:
AI Threats:
A new United Nations study revealed that around 80% of young people interact with AI several times a day, however, AI applications pose numerous risks to young users, including data privacy loss, cyber threats, and inappropriate content, for instance, children may unknowingly upload their photos to AI apps that store images in databases, potentially using them for other purposes, AI chatbots, particularly, can easily provide inappropriate content to children. With over 300,000 chatbots in Messenger alone, not all are safe, and many lack robust age verification processes.
Increased Malicious Attacks on Young Gamers:
Statistics indicate that 91% of children aged 3-15 play electronic games across various devices. In some games, unsupervised voice and text chats are a significant part of the experience, where criminals can entice young victims with gifts or friendship promises. Parents should remain vigilant about their children’s gaming behavior and maintain open communication to address potential threats.
New Threats from Fintech Development:
With banks offering products and services for children, including cards for those under 12, children become vulnerable to financially motivated threats and traditional scams, using social engineering tactics, cybercriminals can gain children’s trust and exploit them by asking for bank details or money transfers, to counter this, Kaspersky experts recommend replacing physical cards with NFC digital cards in children’s phones and activating transaction verification with a guardian, if available.
Increased Smart Home Security Threats with Potential Targeting of Children:
As the diversity of Internet of Things devices in homes increases, these devices become commonplace for children, making them potential tools for cybercriminals, for example, if criminals access one smart device, they could use it to gather sensitive information from children. Parents should maximize the security of these devices by setting strong passwords and educating children on basic cybersecurity rules.
Children’s Demand for Online Privacy:
As children mature, their awareness of personal space, privacy, and sensitive data grows, therefore, parents need to discuss their online experiences tactfully and talk about the importance of parental control applications for cybersecurity while respecting personal privacy, this involves setting clear boundaries and expectations and discussing the reasons for using the application with the child.
Children’s Rush to Download Unavailable Apps:
Children may turn to potentially malicious versions of apps not available in their region, from 2020 to 2022, Kaspersky researchers found over 190 applications infected with the Harly Trojan on Google Play, secretly enrolling users into paid services, to prevent children from downloading malicious files while gaming, Kaspersky experts recommend installing a reliable security solution like Kaspersky Premium on their devices.
How to Protect Your Children from Cyber Threats in 2024?
Kaspersky experts recommend that parents take proactive measures to protect their children from cyber threats in 2024, including:
- Staying informed about the latest threats and continuously monitoring their children’s online activities, to create a safer online experience for them.- Communicating openly with children about potential risks they may face online and enforcing strict guidelines to ensure their safety.
- To assist parents in educating their children about cybersecurity amid the evolving threat landscape, Kaspersky experts have released a book titled ‘Kaspersky Cybersecurity Alphabet,‘ this book teaches children basic concepts from the cybersecurity sector, in it, children will learn about new technologies, understand the main rules of cybersecurity safety, and discover how to avoid threats online, a free PDF version of the book is available for download to learn cybersecurity basics with your child and build their secure future online.
- To prevent children from downloading malicious files while gaming, Kaspersky experts advise parents to install a reliable security solution like ‘Kaspersky Premium‘ on their children’s devices.
- Parents can effectively protect their children from cyber threats in our digital age by using appropriate tools such as the ‘Safe Kids’ parental control application from Kaspersky.”
