Intel Security program aims to protect Canadian students from cyberbullying – Giveaway CAN

I am a true believer or knowledge is power and with the right info and tools anything is possible. This includes keeping ourselves and our children safe. If you have been involved with the online world for any amount of time, I am sure you have seen your fair or should I say unfair share of cyberbullying. Often you see it involving children and teens, but it is common among adults as well.

As teenagers we all witnessed or experienced bullying in some form or another. It was brutal and impacted peoples lives for a long while after school was finished. It is sad to say but bullying seems like a part of high school everywhere, a passage in life we all must go through and overcome to be free. People would start rumors, whisper, and even start fights over absolutely nothing, just to be hurtful and petty. The victims of bullying could not wait until they got home to feel safe and get away from it all. Now the bully has evolved and can follow their victims everywhere, including home. There is nowhere to hide.

That text someone sent to a friend or the selfie your child took when they were out on a road trip with you last year can all be used against them when it comes to cyberbullying. The online world allows bullying to spread like wildfire and nobody is safe. People are being attacked anonymously through emails, in forums on game sites and on social media. Having a screen in front of people has allowed them to be cruel and faceless. Often getting carried away not realizing the results of their actions.

Children and teens today are more Internet-savvy than previous generations and use social media frequently, but they don’t always understand the real-life consequences of their online activities. Once you post something online, it is there forever! Even if you delete it on your end, others will spread it before you know. Security and Discovery Education Canada are addressing the need for better education with  the Intel Security Digital Safety Program, a three-year education initiative for students aged 8-11 that is that is designed to help students make safer decisions when using the Internet and “Think Before You Link.”

cyberbully-adult

Some alarming statistics

  • 76% of youth admit to hiding online behavior form their parents
  • Almost half the females in the survey cleared their browser history after an online session. As a parent do not not want to know what they were viewing?
  • 56% of children questioned have viewed videos or websites their parents would not approve of.
  • 22% view have viewed something online way from home
  • 1/4 say their parents do not monitor their online presence

Talk to your children and ask them what they are doing online. Who are they talking to and what are they watching/reading? We have an area set up for internet usage, but my children also use the web away from home. This is why parents need to know password and communicate.

Start the conversation!

Intel Security Digital Safety Program

The modules in the program provide educators and families with standards-aligned resources, including self-paced lessons for use in the classroom, to help engage students on timely, relevant topics like cyberbullying. At the conclusion of each module, students will receive a cybersecurity certificate acknowledging they’ve completed the program and will act as a responsible cyber citizen. Additionally, parents can access the program’s at-home family resources to further reinforce the importance of online safety to their children.

The recently launched third module of the Intel Security Digital Safety Program focuses on Cyberethics and teaching students how to treat others with respect online. The module also tells youth what they should do if they feel they’re being cyberbullied. Many are afraid, feel guilty and have no idea where to turn for help.

Some of the tips in the Cyberethics module include:

  • respect yourself and others when you post material online
  • what you post online can upset or hurt other people, because it’s not private
  • anything posted online can be there forever
  • if you share material about other people online, check with them to make sure it’s ok first
  • stop and think before you post anything online
  • treat everyone online the way you would like to be treated

The Cyberethics module and the first two modules in the Intel Security Digital Safety Program, which cover Cybersafety and Cybersecurity, can be downloaded at http://ca.thinkbeforeyoulinkinschool.com/ .

Children today are very advanced and know more about the online world and social media than we, their parents. Keeping up and making sure they are safe is not always easy.

Questions you need to ask 

Does your child talk to strangers online?

Does your child keep private information private?

What kinds of online invitations does your child accept?

Additional resources include 

  • Family Safety Blog
  • Parent Tips
  • Activities for Kids
  • National Cyber Security Alliance
  • Get Cyber Safe
  • Real Life Online

Intel Security has already had huge success in equipping members of the community with some simple Internet safety tips. In Canada, since 2011, Intel Security has trained 2,856 school-age children and 296 adults on ways to stay safe, secure and maintain good ethics in their online behaviour.

 

cyberbullying-teen

 

We need to keep our children safe online with the tools we have access to. We also need to make sure our children are not cyberbulling others.

Promotional Toolkit

Learn how to protect yourself, your family and your personal devices with these additional helpful resources. The  Intel Security Digital Safety Program is giving educators and families the tools they need to empower kids to make smart, secure, and responsible decisions online. Download what you need for your school or community newsletters here.

Have you or someone you know experienced cyberbullying before? How did you deal with it?

giveaway time

In the spirit of protecting, I have a great prize for TEN lucky Canadian readers, each will get a copy of McAfee LiveSafe data and identify protection software ($79.99 value for a 1 year subscription) Provides ultimate protection for your data and identity on all your devices. Fill out the form below for your chance to win. Good luck!

Mcafee livesafe

About McAfee LiveSafe

Features

  • Protect all your PCs, Macs, smartphones, and tablets
  • Guard against viruses and online threats
  • Comprehensive mobile security
  • Password Manager
  • Secure Cloud Storage

Disclosure- This post has been brought to you by Intel and McAfee, all opinions are my own. 

Comments

  1. Daria Nowell says

    Thank you. 🙂 Stay safe.

  2. Brandee H says

    I always sit with my son when he is on the computer.

  3. I keep my family safe online with security apps and programs and monitoring their online use.

  4. Carol Denny says

    I always have security apps and I check their on line use

  5. Use Roboform for secure passwords.

  6. My stepson was just telling me today about a boy in his school who wants to hurt himself because of bullying. It's horrible that he is going through that and I just don't understand how people, even kids, can be that cruel and not care what it's doing to their victim. Thanks for the resources to share with my kids and the kids in my Brownie and Guide unit about online safety and cyber bullying.

  7. Florence C says

    We use security apps and security software.

  8. hmrcarlson says

    We have online security software.

  9. kathy downey says

    I have no kids at home now but when the grandkids visit I am always around monitoring their online use.

  10. I am always with the kids on the computer to watch what they are doing!

  11. I keep all passwords to all the kids sites

  12. cgrandy823 says

    We discussed online safety with our children and, until they finished High School, they were not allowed to have a computer in their bedrooms. That way we could keep an eye on what they were doing.

  13. Suzanne G says

    I have online security software. When my kids were at home the computer was in the living room where we could see what was being accessed.

  14. This is frightening to me, with the way technology is going by the time my son is using a computer there are going to be more things to be weary of. Thanks for letting me know about this program.
    My recent post Earth Balance PB Popps, The Healthy Shopper, Plus a #Giveaway

  15. I know my children's passwords and I frequently monitor their activity.

  16. Carole Dube says

    My children are grown but we always discuss online safety when they were younger. We still do even as adult we have to be careful!

  17. edmontonjb says

    I know all passwords, we have parental controls set and my kids are monitored when they are online.

    Jonnie

  18. Amanda Ferreira says

    At the moment the answer to that question is "No" or at least not that I know of. My son is still fairly young and really only goes on a few sites – no social media… yet! Hopefully we'll never have to deal with it but in the case that we do this sounds like a great precaution to take.
    My recent post 7 Gift Giving Ideas for Children

  19. check what the kids are doing online, have security apps and passwords

  20. I always say that social media is a tool and, just like when our grandparents were children and they were using the tools of their generation, like farm equipment, children need to be supervised when using tools and they need to know tool safety procedures.

  21. erin mcsweeney says

    i use AVG for my protection

  22. My boys are still young but I'm already planning ahead and getting ready by putting security software in place and preparing to monitor their online activity once they go online.

  23. education, education, education; kids aren't permitted on the computer etc., without a responsible adult supervising. thanks

  24. Mel Borhi says

    I always clear my history after I use it and also never give out personal information online.

  25. Donnie Ball says

    Lock out as many bad sites as possible and blocking pop-ups.

  26. I try to limit the amount of personal details I submit online.

  27. By keeping a watchful eye on them.

  28. We don't let my son use the computer alone. Thanks for an excellent giveaway!

  29. butterflyamyc says

    I check what my kids are doing online and I'm always asking them too.

  30. I sit beside my kids and watch what they are doing and make sure that they do not go where they should not PLUS I have many things blocked

  31. Jeannie Lam says

    We always watch the computer and we have security software installed.

  32. My husband puts software on our computers but I am sure what.

  33. We actually use McAfee and we use different passwords for different sites.

  34. Robyn Bellefleur says

    My husband and I have regular talks with our kids about strangers online and we use security type software.

  35. Brittney House says

    I teach my kids about internet safely and monitor them online.

  36. parental controls and online security software

  37. We've always been an open family. Talking is always the best way to kick terrible situations.

  38. I always use a security app whenever we are online.

  39. holly ogorman says

    My daughter only plays on two different sites, doesn't know how to change anything, and knows she needs to ask me if she wants to do something different.

  40. We try to keep an eye on the social media accounts

  41. We use anti-virus and malware.

  42. What a fantastic program…. hopefully lots of parents and "young-uns" take advantage of this.

  43. I always have a watchful eye over the computer.

  44. mommakoala says

    We block sites like porn.

  45. My kids know to not share personal info online.

  46. My daughter just got her first personal computer so I'm trying to keep tabs on her by keeping her in the same room as me, checking her history, not permitting her to use social media yet. But I don't have any software yet for online safety & am looking into it.

  47. Lauraleigh says

    I must admit I have not been ontop of protection on our devices and our laptops are now almost pooched. I really need to look into protection for my phone and their tablets. We do monitor the kids online use and remind them regularly about internet safty.

  48. totsfamily says

    I amvery careful about what I post online and our location.

  49. Usually keep an eye on their activity. Blocked pop ups.

  50. Nice and amazing post. Thanks for sharing this post.

  51. interesting post about cyber security

Leave a Reply to Vanessa @Turnipseeds Cancel reply

*