When we buy new smartphones, we put passwords everywhere, place glass protectors on our screens, treat them like newborn babies and after a few days freely use our phones anywhere and everywhere. Smartphones seem like the strongest and most reliable device in our fast-paced lives but in reality, they are one of the most fragile.

Our phones can be hacked by people thousands of kilometres away; they can be corrupted by using our phone numbers, emails and fraudulent websites.  Our passwords and protectors won’t help us here. The internet is a deep dark place where we can never be sure of anything, however,  we can try and protect ourselves from being a victim of cyber attacks. Here’s how:

Don’t share personal information with strangers online.

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Our cyber lives are not just online anymore, they affect our real lives. Posting your location, school’s name, parent’s name and phone number would allow anyone to find you and puts you in danger both online and offline. Be careful where you post this private information on apps on your smartphone and make sure that only people you know can see these bits of information. Sharing information with online friends can also be very dangerous as they might act your age and make you feel safe, they might just be adults who are looking to use this information to harm you.

Protect your accounts using strong passwords.

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Accounts on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc are very easy to hack, especially when we use passwords like ‘qwerty1234’, ‘password12345’ or even our own names. Make sure your passwords are longer than eight characters and have a mix of numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters,  and special characters. Try and come up with unique passwords every time you open a new account on your smartphones. Keep these passwords safe, don’t leave them on a sheet of paper which everyone has access to.

Cyberbullying

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Instead of using this new technology for the betterment of human life, there are people who use it to try and ruin them. The effect of cyberbullying can affect the mental health of victims and cause many problems in their real lives. If you ever feel uncomfortable or feel like you’re being bullied by an online person, make sure to involve an adult. Don’t be scared to do this as you might also be helping the kids who may also be getting bullied.

 Other tips to keep in mind while using smartphones

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Try not to send money to your social media ‘friends’ who are asking for money, it is most probably a scam. Also, remember that these are the only monarchies that exist (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_monarchies) and most princes and princesses don’t really need money from 17-year-olds.

These are only some of the ways you can keep yourself safe on the Internet and protect yourself from future cyber attacks on your smartphones. Keep in mind that using the internet safely can protect you in real life too.

 

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