Tips to staying safe online
The internet holds a lot of information. But it's not all good quality. These pointers will help you engage online in a smart way, and work out who to trust.
Online safety basics
Here are 4 ways to engage online in a smart way.
Create passphrases, not passwords
Passphrases are better than passwords because they're harder for criminals to guess and easier for you to remember. A passphrase can be random words strung together, or the first initial of the words in an obscure lyric.
Your passphrase should be at least 14 characters long to be safe from hackers' code cracking software. It should use a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre advises passphrases are most effective when they're:
- used with multi-factor authentication – where you have to provide more than one proof of identity
- unique – not a famous phrase or lyric, and not re-used
- long – such as 4 or more random words strung together
- complex – naturally occurring in a sentence with a range of symbols
- easy to remember – to save you being locked out.
Learn more about choosing good passwords and how to save your passwords securely in a password manager.
Avoid scams
Keeping your personal information safe online means you need the skills to spot a fake SMS, email or phone call.
One way scammers steal your information is through phishing. Phishing is one of the most common scams, where criminals send fake messages to trick you into sending them your personal information.
Follow these simple steps to protect yourself from phishing:
- Don’t click on links in emails or messages from people or organisations you don’t know.
- Check for errors in the email address and URL.
- Look for the padlock icon and 'https' at the top left of the URL bar. The 's' stands for a secure connection.
- Paste the words in the message into a search engine such as Google or Bing. You may find it reported as a scam.
Search the latest scams at the Australian Government's Scamwatch.
Get consent before sharing
Respecting other people’s digital information is part of being responsible online. Your friend or family member might not want a photo or video of them posted online.
Always check with the person whether they are happy for you to post a picture or something about them.
This includes parents posting about their children and young people. Increasingly, children are critical of material posted without their consent, even by their own parents.
Read more about consent and sharing photos and videos at the eSafetyCommissioner.
Think before you post
In an ideal world, all posts would fit the THINK model.
THINK posts are:
- True
- Helpful
- Inspiring
- Necessary
- Kind.
Everyone can employ THINK before posting online. Teachers can use THINK to scaffold conversations with young people about online behaviour.
Find a teaching resource about ethical decision-making for primary students at making good choices online.
Use critical thinking
Not all online content is trustworthy. Some of it tries to mislead or confuse people. Young people need to develop critical thinking skills for the online world. This enables them to question information and work out whether it's likely to be true.
Here are some questions to consider when assessing information online.
Who wrote the information?
- Is the author named?
- Is the author qualified on the topic of the article? An author may be qualified if they have a university degree or experience relevant to the topic.
- Has the author included a bibliography? Do they mention sources they've used to conduct research?
What's it about?
- Does the article provide links to research to back up its argument?
- Does the article give a balanced opinion and present both sides of the argument?
Where does the information come from?
- Does the article come from a reliable person or organisation, such as an established newspaper or university?
- Does the article come from a reliable website, such as one ending in .gov or .edu?
When was it written and last updated?
- Does the article say when it was published, or last updated?
- Is the article recent?
Why was the information written?
- Can you tell what the author’s primary motive is for writing this information? For example, is it intended to teach or inform? Is the author trying to sell something?
- Does the article encourage debate and allow you to make up your own mind about an issue?
How do you feel about it?
- Is the article written in a way that is easy to understand or does it use confusing and emotive language?
Where can I find out more?
- Do your research using reputed websites to learn more about the claims being made.
- Use reputed fact-checking websites such as factcheck.org or snopes.com.
- Teachers can find lesson plans on critical thinking at young and eSafe.
- Read the eSafety Commissioner's guide to Fake news and misinformation.
- Read the Online Misinformation in Australia: Adult's Experiences, Abilities and Responses research report and its Infographic.
Watch the video and remember to scan for S.C.A.M!
5:59
S.C.A.M. Family Edition - Phriendly Phishing
Tips for parents and carers
Young people should feel comfortable seeking help with negative experiences in the online space, and many do. But some may feel it's embarrassing or a sign of weakness to ask for help. Adults can encourage children to understand that speaking and seeking help is a brave and courageous thing.
Parents can find tips for talking about online grooming, pornography and bullying at the eSafety Commissioner's hard-to-have conversations and 4 steps for discussing the online world with your child:
- Plan what you want to say and how you want to say it.
- Listen, don’t judge.
- Ask questions about how they feel and avoid lecturing.
- Get help from a counsellor or Parent Line if necessary.