As much as we want to protect kids from the dangers in the cyber world, we can’t totally deprive them of using the Internet. We’re in a digital world where kids attend classes, do some recreational activities, and communicate with family and friends using the Internet. As a parent, all we can do is equip our children with knowledge of cybersecurity.

While we might think that CYBERSECURITY is still too big a concept for our little ones, the truth is they can easily understand what it is and why it matters to them if we just know how to explain it simply.

I’m glad I got this children’s book entitled “Cyber Safe: A Dog’s Guide to Internet Security”. Through this comic book, our 5-year-old learned about the dangers she might face online and how she can protect herself from these cyber threats even in her own little way.

Co-authored by Renee Tarun, Fortinet’s Deputy CISO and Vice President of Information Security, the Cyber Safe book provides an easy-to-understand introduction to possible dangers for children connecting online for school, video games, and streaming videos shows, and more.

The Internet can be a truly valuable resource, however, it can also be a playground for things like cyberbullying, malicious content, and bad actors who seek to prey on children and their families for things such as identity theft, criminal activity, and more.

Some of the things Tash learned from this comic book are:

• Only reply to people who you know in real life.
• If the stranger online tells you don’t tell anyone, you should definitely tell Mom and Dad.
• Don’t click links right away. Ask Mom and Dad.
• Never share our passwords.

I got this book from “Asking for a Friend: How Can Kids Stay Safe from Digital Threats,” an online event organized by Fortinet and Edukasyon.ph. Fortinet, a global leader in broad, integrated, and automated cybersecurity solutions, further strengthens its commitment to educating the global community on cybersecurity as it collaborates with Edukasyon.ph, a leading online education platform for youth in the Philippines.

Through this collaboration, Fortinet aims to raise the youth’s cybersecurity awareness by informing parents and educators about cybersecurity and encouraging them to be involved in cyber safety to protect children in the digital world.

The event covered topics such as cyber threats that youths may face in the digital world, identifying suspicious behavior, and what parents can do to keep children safe online. 

“Amid the pandemic, internet usage greatly increased among the youths due to online and remote education as the new norm. This develops new threats that affect the children’s privacy, safety, and security. For that reason, parents’ and educators’ protective boundaries apply not only physically but also digitally. At Fortinet, we have been committed to educating, and empowering communities through knowledge and necessary skills to deal with cyber threats, especially educating youth on good cybersecurity hygiene. Fortinet has pledged to train 1 million people to help close the cybersecurity skills gap globally across the next 5 years through Fortinet’s Training Advancement Agenda (TAA),” said Louie Castañeda, country manager of Fortinet Philippines. 

“As we, at Edukasyon.ph, continue to empower students, enabling them to pursue their chosen career and life through our platform. We also want to protect them from the growing threats online that could disrupt their lives and learning. Through this virtual event, Edukasyon.ph and Fortinet will train parents and educators on how to recognize cyber threats, what action they can take if it arises, and how they can keep the children safe from existing and emerging digital threats,” expressed Grace David, CEO of Edukasyon.ph. 

This youth outreach with Edukasyon.ph and DepEd is part of Fortinet’s global CSR commitment to creating awareness among children. It also reinforces Fortinet’s skills gap initiative to build cybersecurity awareness at a young age, helping to create a safe online environment for everyone. 

Aside from this initiative, Fortinet also provides access to an award-winning cybersecurity training curriculum, known as the Fortinet Network Security Expert (NSE) program. Through its NSE Training Institute, Fortinet offers free self-paced cyber awareness courses via NSE 1 and NSE 2 to further develop foundational cybersecurity skills, complementing the “Cyber Safe” book.

In 2020, the NSE Training Institute also launched the Information Security Awareness and Training Service available for free. Parents and educators can use this service to raise their cybersecurity awareness to protect their children.

If you want to know more about teaching cybersecurity for kids, click here to watch the full video of the event.

To purchase the book “Cyber Safe: A Dog’s Guide to Internet Security,” click here.