Everyday Digital: Environment
You know the local streets and dark alleyways you’d avoid at night. You should treat the online world just the same.
Understanding how spaces in the online world are connected, which parts are risky, and how they could affect your family can be just as important as knowing to steer clear of the dodgier parts of town.
Be aware and wary
The online world can manipulate you in many ways. It can be harmless, like getting sucked into hours of watching cat videos. It can also be more serious stuff – like falling for email scams or going to darker places on the internet where you could encounter trouble.
Whether visiting old or new online environments, it’s important to be aware and wary of your surroundings.
By understanding that there can be different kinds of risks in many different online environments, you can use some simple habits and questions to make sure you and your family make the right decisions.
Three environment habits
#1. Keep track of time
Screen time itself isn’t necessarily bad. What you’re doing matters more.
Even so, try tracking how long you’re spending online, so your family doesn’t get distracted from important stuff. Online platforms are enjoyed best in moderation.
Try using a screen time or daily usage tool (look in your device’s settings) to get an idea of how long your family is spending doing certain things. You could even use an old-fashioned timer if it's easier. If there’s a time of day when your family tends to sink into a rabbit hole of content, then this is a great way to keep track.
#2. Check before you click
You may get lots of emails from multiple companies each week. This can make scams hard to spot.
A really good habit is to check the email address. Especially so if the email has an offer that sounds too good to be true or contains a threat or warning. For example, that you've not paid your council tax.
Most banks have info about scams on their websites – but you can also ask yourself these questions:
Does the email address match who it says it is from?
Does the email address look genuine or is it random letters and numbers?
Does the email look professional, or does it look poorly designed, or written?
If you’re in any doubt, find the website that the email claims to be from and give their customer service number a call.
#3 – Think about age ratings
Age ratings are generally a good way to know if an online platform is suitable for your child. This could be a social media platform or an online game. Find time to check your family’s favourite platforms and see if the age rating means they are likely to be appropriate.
For social media, you can find out age ratings from the platform’s terms of service (do a quick Google search) or you could search in an app store (most social media tends to be 13+). For games, you could have a look at the PEGI rating to find out more.
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