STOP.THINK.

CONNECT™
NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

KIDS PRESENTATION
ABOUT STOP.THINK.CONNECT.™

• In 2009, President Obama asked the

Department of Homeland Security to create
the Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign to help
Americans understand the dangers that come
with being online and the things we can do to
protect ourselves from cyber threats.

• Stop.Think.Connect.™ reminds Americans that

cybersecurity is a shared responsibility – at
home, at school, and in our communities.
WHAT IS CYBERSPACE?

Cyberspace is anything that has to

do with the Internet.
• We use the Internet to communicate and stay
connected to our friends and family.

• We play video games, download music, and watch

TV shows and movies after homework is done.

• Grownups do things like banking, shopping, and

other important everyday activities online too.
WHY DO WE NEED TO
PROTECT CYBERSPACE?
• Crimes that happen in real life – such as stealing – also
happen on the Internet.

• Just like you have to look both ways before crossing the
street, you have to be careful when using the Internet.

• The Department of Homeland Security helps you protect

yourself from dangers on the Internet by teaching you
what to look out for online.

• Often, we might not realize that our actions online might

hurt us, our families, and even our country. Learning
about the dangers online and taking action to protect
ourselves is the first step in making the Internet a safer
place.
KIDS LEAD DIGITAL LIVES

• Kids ages 8-18 spend 7 hours and 38 minutes per day

online

• If a child sleeps 8 hours per night, that means ONE HALF

of the time that he or she is awake is spent online
– 33% Online
– 33% Offline (awake)
– 33% Asleep

• Some common online issues kids face include:

– Cyber Predators
– Cyber Bullying
– Identity Theft

Source: National Cyber Security Alliance

CYBER PREDATORS & BULLIES

Cyber predators are people who search online for other

people in order to use, control, or harm them in some way.

Cyberbullying is the electronic posting of mean-spirited

messages about a person, often anonymously.
Cyber Tips for Kids
• Keep your personal information private; avoid sharing your name, address, telephone number,
birthday, passwords, and the name of your school when using the Internet.
• Think twice before you post or say anything online; once it is in cyberspace, it’s out there
forever.
• Treat others like you want to be treated.
• Speak up. If you see something inappropriate, let the website know and tell an adult you trust.
Don’t stand for bullying—online or off.
IDENTITY THEFT

Identity theft is the illegal use of someone else's personal

information to steal money or credit.
Cyber Tips for Kids
• If you have your own email account, let your parents know if you ever receive an email that
asks for your personal information. Some emails look official, as if they were sent from a club
or school, but they could be a trick to get your personal information. Fake emails usually seem
urgent, and ask you to respond with your private information.
• Choose a screen name or email address that isn't your real name to protect your identity. For
instance, instead of "Jack Smith," why not choose "Sk8boardKing75?"
• Create strong passwords with eight characters or more that use a combination of letters,
numbers, and symbols. Don’t share your passwords with anyone.
• Think before you click – don’t open emails from strangers and don’t click on links for unfamiliar
sites.
• Use and check your privacy settings on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
MOBILE SECURITY
When you play games, video chat, or surf the web on a
cell phone or tablet, you are accessing the Internet on
the go. We need to be careful when using cell phones
just like we are careful when using a computer.
Cyber Tips for Kids
• Keep a close eye on your mobile device. Never leave your mobile devices unattended.
• Keep It Locked. Always lock your device when you are not using it. Use strong passwords to
prevent others from accessing your device. Never share your passwords with someone other
than your parent or guardian.
• Know Your Apps. Check with your parents before you download an app and review the settings
with them.
• Only Connect to the Internet if Needed. Disconnect your device from the Internet when you
aren’t using it and make sure your device isn’t set to automatically connect to Wi-Fi.
COMMON SENSE RULES
APPLY ONLINE
• Don’t talk to strangers. Don't communicate with strangers
online and never agree to meet in person. Tell a parent,
teacher, or an adult you trust if a stranger contacts you in a
chat room, through email, or via text messaging.

• Look both ways before crossing the street. Don't enter

contests, join clubs, or share your personal information for any
reason, unless your parents say it's OK. Your name, address,
age, phone number, birthday, email address, where you go to
school, and other facts about you are personal and shouldn’t
be shared without checking first.

• If the offer seems too good to be true, then it probably is.

How many of you have ever received an email offering
something free, like a cell phone or concert tickets? These are
tricks designed to get you to give up personal information or
click on links to automatically install malware or spyware.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!

• The Department of Homeland Security can’t protect the

Internet alone. We need help from all Americans – including
everyone here – to make smart and safe decisions when using
the Internet.
• Once we understand the dangers, we need to tell other people
who might not be as cyber smart and savvy. Setting a good
example of online behavior is something you can do right now
to make a difference.
• That’s why cybersecurity begins with you. Yes, you! Every
Internet user, no matter how young or old, is our Nation’s first
line of defense against people who might want to harm us.
• If we all become more aware of who we talk to, what we say,
and what we share online – we can make a big difference.
CYBER EDUCATION

The Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign also promotes science,

technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education
among students.
• To help keep our computers and our country’s networks safe,
we need more cybersecurity professionals.
• To do that, we need students who have skills in science,
technology, engineering, and math.
• To learn more about STEM education and careers, visit the
National Initiative for Cyber Careers and Studies (NICCS)
Portal at www.niccs.us-cert.gov/.
SCENARIO #1:
AIMEE’S COUNTRY COUNTDOWN
Aimee loves listening to country music any chance she gets and regularly downloads her
favorite songs onto the new MP3 Player her parents bought for her birthday. They gave her
firm guidelines for downloading music—one of the rules is that she must ask them to
approve the website she gets the music from to be sure it is a legitimate website and is
legally downloaded. Lately she has been downloading a lot of great tunes, so her parents
finally said, “No more! You have enough songs!”

Aimee’s friend at school just told her about the best country song from a new country
band’s album. Aimee loves this band and just has to have the new album! Her friend tells
her about a secret website where you can download this new album and get all the songs
for free. Aimee questions this for a minute, but trusts her friend, and eventually decides to
download the new album as soon as she gets home from school. She finds the website and
begins answering the questions the website requires. These include name, address,
birthday, and email address. At the bottom of the webpage, the website has an additional
link that offers 10 hit songs a month for only $1.99, but requires a credit card number to
activate.

• What should Aimee do?

• What were Aimee’s mistakes?
• Did Aimee do anything illegal?
• Is Aimee’s friend truly a friend?
• Who were Aimee’s actions most unfair to? Why?
SCENARIO #2:
JAKE AND THE BAD VIRUS
Jake was using the Internet on his family’s home computer to research a
school project on dolphins. He just finished finding the perfect article to add to
his research and was about to log off the computer. Before shutting down Jake
decides to quickly check his email account. In his inbox, Jake sees two
messages including one from [email protected], which he
recognizes as his Grandfather’s email address, and another from
[email protected] with a subject line that reads ―YOU’VE
WON $5,000.

Jake skips his Grandfather’s email and quickly opens the sweepstakes email to
collect his prize. After doing so, Jake receives a message instructing him to
provide personal information to verify his identity. Jake provides his full name,
birthday, home address and phone number. He hits submit and instantly starts
receiving messages saying his computer has been infected by a virus. Jake
panics because he doesn’t want to get into trouble. He quickly logs off, shuts off
his computer, and goes to bed, hoping his parents won’t know what happened
in the morning.

• What were Jake’s mistakes?

• What should Jake have done?
YOU HAVE AN
IMPORTANT ROLE
HELPING US PROTECT
CYBERSPACE