“Just as teachers and parents teach children physical safety skills – such as looking both ways before crossing a street – they must model this behavior in the cyber world,” said Julie Peeler, director of the (ISC)² Foundation, which focuses on childrens' cyber safety. “Unfortunately, they don’t always have the skills and knowledge they need to guide children as they navigate the online threats they face every day at school and at home.”
To that end, the (ISC)² Foundation has beefed up its Safe and Secure Online Program and has launched a new, interactive website, with the goal of enlisting and empowering those who have the greatest influence on children’s time and outlook – their parents and teachers.
Safe and Secure Online for Parents and Teachers features an interactive presentation and educational workshops that will give parents and teachers the specialized skills and knowledge they need to know what’s going on in their children’s cyber world. The idea is to teach children to be good digital citizens and to help them recognize and protect against not always clear but ever-present cyber dangers. Using cutting-edge, interactive presentation materials, (ISC)²-certified cybersecurity experts work directly with the children in a classroom setting to tackle timely, critical topics, including online identities and reputations, malware, cyber bullying, online predators, gaming and social media pitfalls.
Meanwhile, the new Foundation website will act as a resource for parents and teachers looking to inform themselves and their children about cyber threats and online safety. They’ll be able to access awareness and educational materials, stay up to date on new risks to children and easily request and schedule a Safe and Secure Online presentation for their children’s school or parent/teacher group, as well as get access to the tools they need to take a more active role in their children’s cyber security education.
“Knowledge can truly empower a person,” said Tony Vargas, president and chairman of (ISC)²’s Sacramento chapter. “(ISC)²’s Safe and Secure Online programs for children, adults and teachers are very powerful because they teach people how to think differently and question what they see online. Thinking differently or questioning what you see and do before clicking on a Website, opening an email attachment or following a hyperlink is what can truly make a difference in enabling a person to have the safest online experience possible.”