Norton Encourages Online Safety in Nigeria; Gives Tips on Protecting Children

Norton, by Symantec, is encouraging individuals to manage their children’s growing online independence by educating them on the many serious dangers of the Internet, and ensuring they can surf the web knowing they are protected from the threats out in cyberspace today.

This call was made by Ms. Marian Merritt, Norton’s Internet Safety Advocate, during conversations at the Safer Internet Day which held recently. She said, “The increasing accessibility of the internet on mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones, mostly amongst the younger generations across the world calls for safer and more responsible use of online technology,”

Meritt went on to mention that cyberbullying has been identified as one of the main issues of online safety which is increasingly becoming a serious concern and happens online or on mobile phones. She stressed the importance for adults to educate their children on online etiquette, stating that, “this includes cautioning them to avoid talking to strangers or accepting friend requests from people they do not know, limiting their time allowed online or by restricting the apps they download on their mobile phones.”

In addition to this, she urged parents to ensure young people remain protected online: "Don’t give out your personal information – Don’t put personal details such as your home address, telephone numbers or parent’s work address online as cybercriminals can use this information to create a fake profile with your details.

"What goes online, stays online – Use privacy settings to make sure only your friends and family can see photos you post. Avoid posting holiday plans as criminals have been known to track your movements. Check your security and privacy settings – Make sure your social network privacy settings are secured so only your friends can see your personal information and use your privacy settings to restrict who can see your posts, videos and photos", she said.