Most kids associate October with the scares related to the
traditional Halloween standbys – ghosts, witches, and zombies.
But, the month also marks National Cyber Security Awareness
month, calling attention to frightening things like online
identity theft, cyber bullying, viruses and damaging malware. If
your teen is among the 93 percent of 12 to 17-year-olds using
your family’s laptop, smartphone or tablet to surf the Internet,
they are vulnerable to multiple cyber threats, many of which
could be detrimental. Moreover, teens do not realize the
abundance of threats awaiting them, nor do they recognize a
tweet or photo upload can impact not only their reputation and
future, but their safety, as well. Microsoft’s research shows
that 55 percent of teens say they give little or no thought to
the consequences of posting something online. And, according to
a recent survey, 1 in 4 parents are overwhelmed by technology
and just hope for the best. “As hackers continue plotting
attacks, the increase in vulnerability am