As our kids grow up, we begin to give them a little bit more freedom. Maybe they get a smartphone or a laptop for themselves. This can be a scary time for parents who are concerned about the safety of their children.

If your teen has a device and you’re concerned about their online activity, here are 10 Internet Safety Tips for Homeschoolers that will keep teens safer online.

I covered this topic in 2016 (https://thewiredhomeschool.com/10-internet-safety-tips-teens-tweens/) and a lot has changed since then. This list has a little bit of overlap with the previous one but it’s also more technical. Parents of teens will want to share both lists and consider whether or not there are some things they could do to model better Internet behavior.

Don’t visit questionable websites

File-sharing, “free” movie sites, questionable forums.

Set social media accounts to private

Keeps away the creepers because you have to approve them before they can follow you.

Don’t post personal information online

Don’t share that you’ll be at Applebee’s having dinner. Nobody needs to know that except the people you’ll be with.

Protect your email account

Email is the master-key to nearly all of your online accounts. It should be protected so that someone can’t use email to takeover your online accounts.

Use two-factor authentication

Passwords aren’t enough these days. Have a second way to verify your identity.

Use a password manager

If you’re going to have hard-to-guess passwords it’s a good idea to have a way to manage them. I recommend LastPass (https://thewiredhomeschool.com/lastpass). They now have a family plan so that families can share passwords to common accounts like streaming services

Don’t send sensitive information via text or email

Use a private, encrypted free service like DropBox or Google Drive to send scans of documents like birth certificates or a driver’s license.

Don’t open email attachments

Unless someone specifically told they’d be sending you an attachment, don’t open it. In fact, if someone you know does send you one, ask them to send it through a service like Google Drive.

Backup your data

Many devices have built-in backup these days. Use it.

Don’t click or tap on links from untrusted sources

If you get a link in an email, text, or other message from an unknown or untrusted source don’t open it. Even if you know the person, if it looks fishy, it probably is.

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The post 10 More Internet Safety Tips for Homeschoolers – WHS 220 (https://thewiredhomeschool.com/10-internet-safety-tips-homeschoolers/) appeared first on The Wired Homeschool (https://thewiredhomeschool.com).