{"id":69735,"date":"2022-08-04T09:00:30","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T16:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/?p=69735"},"modified":"2022-09-06T09:33:05","modified_gmt":"2022-09-06T16:33:05","slug":"back-to-school-checklist-for-online-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/privacy-security\/back-to-school-checklist-for-online-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"A back-to-school checklist for online safety"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The first day of school is right around the corner. Whether that brings some relief, gives you jitters or both, we\u2019re here to support families<\/a> with one major thing: internet safety.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For parents, thinking about the dangers of the web can be scary. But it doesn\u2019t have to be. While the internet isn\u2019t perfect<\/a>, it\u2019s also a wonderful place for learning and connecting with others. Here\u2019s what families can do to make the best of it while staying safe this school year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Nick Velazquez \/ Mozilla<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

1. Set up new passwords<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Back-to-school season is a good time to update passwords<\/a>, since students often log in to the same learning tools they use at home and on campus. It\u2019s important to teach kids the basics of password hygiene<\/a>, including keeping passwords in a safe place<\/a> and regularly changing them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Check your devices\u2019 privacy settings <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whether you have a preschooler who uses the family tablet to watch videos or a kid who\u2019s finally ready for a phone<\/a>, make sure to set up these devices with data privacy in mind<\/a>. Figure out \u2013 together, if possible \u2013 which information they\u2019re sharing with the apps they use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have a school-issued device? Take the time to look into the settings, and don\u2019t be afraid to ask teachers and school administrators<\/a> about how the tools and software used in classrooms are handling students\u2019 data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Protect your child\u2019s browsing information<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An investigation by The Markup<\/a>, in collaboration with Mozilla Rally<\/a>, exposed how federal financial aid applications automatically sent students\u2019 personal information to Facebook \u2013 even if a student didn\u2019t have a Facebook account. It\u2019s just one example of how invasive big tech<\/a>\u2019s data tracking has become. One way to cut the amount of information companies are collecting about your kid is by protecting their internet browsing data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firefox has Total Cookie Protection<\/a> on by default to all users. That means that when your child visits a website, cookies<\/a> (which store bits of information a page remembers about them), stays within that website and out of the hands of companies that want to track their online behavior and target them with ads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to make Firefox the default browser on a desktop computer:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n