We spend much of our lives online.
Whether we’re speaking to friends or doing our day job, we’re always using the internet for something.
In fact, in the UK, we spent around four hours per day on our smartphones in 2021.
This reflects how much we need to be connected to our apps. And that’s just our phones; it doesn’t look at other devices we use.
Recent events also influenced how much time we spend online. For instance, meeting apps quickly gained users during the pandemic as we all tried to keep in touch.
With so much access to the online world at our fingertips, security is an important factor to consider.
Here’s a look at why we need to stay safe and how to do it.
Why staying safe is essential
There are two main areas of keeping safe online that we need to consider.
First, how do we protect people from seeing or accessing things that could be harmful?
Second, how do we protect our personal details from hackers?
Children are at risk of seeing things that they shouldn’t when online.
It doesn’t take much for cartoons and content that’s not suitable for young audiences to be displayed.
Therefore, parents, carers, and educators must understand what the risks are and how to protect children.
There’s also the risk that the wrong people will intercept our information.
Banking apps, for instance, are a popular way to manage our money.
But if our login details are in the notes section of our device and it gets stolen, thieves can easily get into our accounts.
There are also scam texts and emails that look like they’re genuine. These often include a link to a website that can give hackers access to your details.
So, knowing how to protect ourselves is crucial.
Keep safe
Here are some tips to keep safe online:
● Oversee children and vulnerable people
Add restrictions. Apply these to any apps or websites that children and vulnerable people in your care are using.
● Don’t open suspicious emails
Some scammers can replicate emails from your trusted sources. They’re convincing, but there are always clues that they’re not genuine. If you don’t expect to see it, don’t open it.
● Protect your devices
You use your mobile phone all the time. You’ve got so much information on there about you, your family and your friends. Using a mobile VPN will make it harder for others to access your data and give you peace of mind while you’re on the go.
● Use strong passwords
We have passwords for everything. And many of us use the same one every time. Hackers love that. Try mixing it up a bit so that they can’t guess what it could be.
● Use two-step authentication
Adding a phone number or second email address to the login process will make your emails and banking apps more secure.
