Get into Safer Internet Day

Tuesday, February 9 is Safer Internet Day! It’s a day where the world comes together with a shared vision of making online experiences better for everyone. And here at Careers with STEM, we are all for it!

To celebrate Safer Internet Day, we’ve rounded up a list of our top tips to keep you safe online, as well as a bunch of resources that you can chat about and learn from in your classroom. Oh, and you’ll also find a list of cool STEM careers below. These ones help make the internet a safer and more secure place.

Cyberbullying

Did you know? One in five young people reported being socially excluded, threatened, or abused online, according to the Australian eSafety Commissioner. This is definitely not okay. Here’s what you can do to prevent cyberbullying:

• Tell a trusted person what’s going on
• Don’t respond or retaliate
• Block cyberbullies
• Always log out of public computers
• Don’t be a cyberbully yourself
• Keep track of who you interact with online

RELATED: Your 6-day guide to staying safe online

Security

Identity theft is another huge issue online. You can protect yourself by…

• Setting extremely strong passwords (and using different passwords for different accounts and logins). You can make a password strong by using a combination of letters, numbers and symbols. It should also appear random and be long in length. Remember to update your passwords regularly too!
• Not opening suspicious looking emails – they might be part of a phishing attack. If you do accidentally open one, be sure not to fill out the information it’s asking for or click on the links.
• Looking out for false websites – phishers are pretty good at making their websites look legitimate. Always check the URL too.

RELATED: Quiz: How cyber safe are you?

Viruses

Always be careful when downloading files off the internet. Make sure wherever you’re downloading from is a trusted source.

Safe file types include:

• .mp3
• .wma
• .aac
• .jpg
• .mpeg
• .gif
• .txt
• .wav

The following ones you need to be more careful with as they are more likely to contain a virus. Argh!

• .exe
• .doc
• .docx

The best way to keep your computer virus free? Make sure you have anti-virus software installed and that it’s up-to-date.

Digital footprint

Your digital footprint is the trail of date you leave behind online. This includes things you post on social media, websites you visit and emails you send. You need to be mindful and careful about what you put on the internet as it will be there forever and can be traced back to you.

RELATED: How not to overshare online

Resources

Wanna learn more about cyber safety and security? Here are some amazing resources put together by SaferInternetDay.org:

• The Full Picture – a short film about how young people use social media to connect and share, and the pressure and influences they face.
• Explained: What is False Information? – an animation that explains ‘fake news’ and intros digital media literacy.
• Livestreaming Advice – created by young people, for young people using Facebook Live, Instagram Live and YouTube Live
• Decision Tree: Think About the Content You Post – what you should consider before posting content online

This video by the eSafety Commissioner is also a must-watch for Safer Internet Day. It follows what happens when a group of high-school friends post an online rumour and explores the impact of cyberbullying and sharing intimate images.

Careers in cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is a booming career area that helps us stay safe online. You can read the latest issue of Careers with STEM: Cyber Security here.

There are so many different jobs in this field too. These include:

• Application security
• Bug bounty hunters – meet Allan Jay (AJ) Dumanhug
• Computer forensics analysts
• Cyber intel analyst
• Pen (penetration) tester – meet Drashti Patel
• Red Team
• Security engineer/cyber detection engineer – meet Kathy Zhu

Read more about these careers, how to get into them and what you can do to get involved with cybersecurity now here.

Happy Safer Internet Day and stay safe out there in the digital world, STEM friends!

Author: Louise Meers

Louise is the acting digital editor for Careers with STEM. She has a journalism degree from the University of Technology, Sydney and has spent over a decade writing for youth. She is passionate about inspiring young people to achieve their biggest goals.