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Essential habits for protecting personal information and recognizing potential online dangers.
If you found a mysterious treasure chest in a park that promised a prize but only if you gave it your home address and school name, would you do it? The internet is full of 'treasure chests,' but not all of them are friendly!
Think of your information in two categories. Personal Information is like your favorite color or your hobby of playing soccer; it describes you but doesn't help someone find you. Private Information is like a map to your life. This includes your full name, home address, phone number, and school name. Sharing private information is like leaving your front door wide open. On the World Wide Web, once you share something, it can stay there forever. Always ask a trusted adult before typing private details into a website or app. Remember: if a site asks for your location, that is a major signal to stop and think!
Quick Check
Which of the following is considered 'Private Information' that you should not share without permission?
Answer
Your home address or the name of your school.
A password is like a digital lock. If your password is '12345' or 'password,' it's like using a lock made of paper! A strong password should be long and complex. Imagine a math problem for a hacker: if you use only 3 numbers, there are only combinations. But if you use 8 characters with letters, numbers, and symbols, the combinations jump to over ! That is 6 trillion possibilities! To make a great password, use a passphrase—a short sentence that is easy for you to remember but hard for a computer to guess.
Let's turn a weak password into a superhero password: 1. Start with a simple idea: 'ilovecats'. 2. Make it longer: 'ilovecatsanddogs'. 3. Add 'Spice' (Numbers and Symbols): 'iL0veCats&D0gs!'. 4. Now it is much harder for a computer to crack!
Quick Check
Why is 'iL0veCats&D0gs!' better than 'cats123'?
Answer
It is longer and uses a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
Not everything on the web is what it seems. Some people use Phishing, which is sending fake messages to trick you into giving away secrets. To stay safe, look for Red Flags. First, check the URL (the website address). Does it start with HTTPS? The 'S' stands for Secure, and it usually has a little padlock icon next to it. Second, watch out for 'Too Good to be True' offers. If a pop-up says, 'You are the 1,000,000th visitor! Click here for a free tablet!', it is almost certainly a trap. Finally, if a stranger asks you to keep a secret or move to a different chat app, tell an adult immediately.
You receive an email that says: 'URGENT! Your game account will be deleted in 10 minutes. Click this link to save it: www.free-robux-legit.net/login'. 1. Check the sender: Do you know them? No. 2. Check the tone: Is it trying to make you feel scared or rushed? Yes ('URGENT!'). 3. Check the link: Does the website look official? No, it has weird dashes and words. 4. Action: Do not click! Delete the email and tell a parent.
You want to download a new game mod. You find a site called 'SuperMods.biz'. 1. Look at the address bar: It says 'http://' (no 'S') and there is no padlock. 2. The page is covered in flashing 'Download Now' buttons that look like ads. 3. A pop-up asks for your phone number to 'verify you are human.' 4. Conclusion: This site is unsafe. It lacks encryption ( vs ) and is asking for private information.
Which of these is the SAFEST thing to share on a public gaming profile?
What does the 'S' stand for in 'HTTPS'?
If a website has a lot of 'Red Flags,' you should still click the links as long as you don't type your name.
Review Tomorrow
In 24 hours, try to explain to a family member the difference between 'Personal' and 'Private' information.
Practice Activity
With a parent, look at the address bar of three of your favorite websites. Can you find the padlock icon and the 'HTTPS' on all of them?