Is there an extensive guide on how to protect kids on the internet?
With the years I learned some rules of behavior on internet, but I wonder if there is some kind of extensive guide for parents who are not experienced with technology.
For example, I don't think content blockers are a good idea for teenagers. It works for kids, but teenagers will find workarounds because parents were lazy about teaching them the dangers and instead used a spyware app.
Here is a bad written list of some obvious rules:
Be anonymous
Use private social media accounts
Do not tell any personal information
Use ad blockers
Learn to recognize ads
Learn to recognize AI generated text and images
Learn to recognize scam
Understand consent
Learn to prevent blackmail
Learn to prevent grooming
Learn how fake pornography is and the unrespectful content
But I wish there was some kind of step by step guide
I think you're missing of the most important parts:
learn to avoid addictive content
This means:
games w/ MTX
clickbait/doom scrolling
gambling
Others got into that as well, but I honestly try to keep things simple, so I'll leave it as assuming that everyone on the internet is trying to screw you. For example:
someone you don't know in person is being extra nice? They probably want something from you.
a deal looks too good to be true? It probably is.
something says you need to take urgent action? Probably a scam.
The internet is not a regulated place, so be vigilant about figuring out how the other party is trying to screw you and you should catch most of the crap out there. Yeah, not everyone is trying to screw you, but you should always assume they are.
Also, be sure to apply Richard Stallman's privacy rules. To summarise, all data that leaves your device is effectively out of your control. Assume all of this data is captured and stored, and will be used against you at some point.
I've met some good friends online that I later met up with in person. Though this was only after chatting and gaming with them for years. Meeting in a public place reduces a lot of the risk. I wouldn't want to give out my address or meet at someone's house.
Yeah. I've got friends that I've met through LAN groups. There's even heaps of people who hang around in the same discord channels as my friends. Every now and then, we'll find ourselves at the same BBQ and I'll happily add them after that.
Do not upload pictures of your face ANYWHERE, period - including private chats
Do not use any name even resembling your real one, or rederencing your known interests
If something asks for a phone number, avoid using it
If it is mandatory (like for government services) or very hard not to use (like Whatsapp or Telegram), ask the parent first, maybe there is an aliasing solution
If the data sharing is mandatory, try digging deeper for alternative options because it may turn out to be not so mandatory
Do not post anything political or even remotely questionable in the current climate (should be talked about with the parent), and must understand you can be arrested for pretty much anything and be made an example of
Each time an application is installed, think about what data it is able to access, pay attention to permissions
Prefer FOSS programs for everything possible
Learn to treat a Windows PC or a non-degoogled phone as a fundentally unprivate device and learn to not trust them with personal things (if I were a parent, I'd install a privacy-preserving OS on a device prior to giving it to a kid anyway)
There's a lot of "services" like Klarna where you buy now for payments split over several months. At first glance these often seem ok but they're essentially loans with credit card interest rates.
Always remember that corporations will if able exploit your child as much as possible. Help your kids learn that any corporation type platform will filter things and change based on what they want your kids to see.
One way would be to let them find out the hard way. Make sure they understand that everyone can see what they do and say and that they can find them back as a first base step. Let them have to click the right download button when downloading a mod for their game, you know. Make a setup so that if there's theres a big oopsie with their devices yours arent affected. And from there they will install an ad blocker or learn to find the download button. You could also make a fake blackmail or phishing email to see how they react (I've thought about making a fake phishing email for the elder ones in my family recently too...) and make it so that if they click, the screen goes black and red with crazy sounds.
My daughter isn't even two yet, but I'm definitely trying to plan a balance with this. It's a huge part of how I learned, and I don't think I would have learned nearly as much or as well otherwise.
At the same time though, I can't help but feel like ads and the internet are far more insidious than they were when I first went online in 2000.
Malware is much more sneaky. There's more spare resources for it to use without impacting performance. Ads have likewise had plenty of time to develop/advance/get worse.
Thankfully, ad blocking, anti-malware, and recovery tools have also advanced.
I think for the early days I'll have her on an isolated, locked down, pre-protected device for learning the basics of using a computer (mouse, files, the type of stuff they used to teach in elementary school).
That's how I learned too, but at first yeah obv training wheels are useful in order to not have to reinstall the os every 2 days. About malware though, it may be more sneaky in general but some sites I've seen recently still use the old ways, especially for game mods or file downloads, they still use the giant green download button trick. Also, she will grow up in the internet that we have today, so if she learns the old stuff, it may not be that useful
In any case, just for thinking of this, she will probably be one of the most tech savvy person in her generation! I hope she will be thankful
There is no step 2. The internet is not a place for kids. It's barely a place for teens, but hopefully you've taught teenagers how to behave online by the time they're 15.
There is no step 2. The outside world is not a place for kids. It’s barely a place for teens, but hopefully you’ve taught teenagers how to behave outside by the time they’re 15.