Do your kids download music, movies and who knows what else from the internet?
If they do then they are probably just typical kids as I would imagine the majority of them download huge amounts of data these days.
Not So Safe
In fact, downloading has become so commonplace that many parents think it is perfectly safe and acceptable.
They may, however, be wrong on both counts.
Not only can downloads be infected with viruses, spyware and other malware but they can also be illegal too, not to mention inappropriate.
Cyber criminals use the popular download sites as they know any infected files they put there will reach a wide audience.
Recent cases have also highlighted the dangers of downloading copyrighted material as computer users are indeed sued from time to time.
More horrifying, perhaps, for some parents is the possibility that their child is watching porn or violent content.
Are they the scenarios you wish your children to be in?
I didn’t think so.
Safer Downloading
Before you teach your kids about downloading safely you need to go back a step and teach them about basic internet security.
This means informing them about viruses, trojans, spyware, etc and what sort of files to avoid.
Next up you can tell them what sort of files they can download and where they can find the right and proper sources to download them from.
To start, and most importantly, they need to know what types videos and music they are allowed to download.
It would then be advisable to check what they are doing from time to time to ensure that they are indeed following your instructions.
Explaining how to run a virus checker, scan for adware and remove any other nasties that are found will also go a long way to heightening their awareness of the consequences of their downloading actions.
Enjoy your movies and music but be sure to acquire them responsibly.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 0 comments… add one now }