While some students will be heading back to the physical classroom for the first time, others will still be opting towards online classes. Back to school shopping this year is going to come with a whole new set of problems, especially considering that education is among the top targets for cybercriminals and that laptops are in short supply. Keep reading to prep for back to school!

With younger generations being riskier with their cybersecurity practices despite being more tech-savvy, increasing your children’s cyber vigilance is a necessity in this day and age. And even if online classes aren’t part of this year’s curriculum, maintaining strong cybersecurity etiquette is a must, so make sure your kids are learning the ABC’s of cybersecurity.

Here’s What You Can Do:

Get Familiar with Antivirus

Having a reliable antivirus is the best way to ensure that your child is safe while using the computer. McAfee Total Protection is a dependable virus protection program, and it’s compatible with tablets, cell phones, and computers. Defend yourself and the entire family against the latest virus, malware, spyware and ransomware attacks while staying on top of your privacy and identity. Rather than risk the chance of your kids stumbling onto malicious files online, you can get McAfee HERE for over 60% off!

Consider Getting Parental Monitoring

Giving your child free reign on the computer is much like teaching them how to ride a bike – as much as they’d like to ditch the training wheels, it’s always good to have some protection before sending them off. Consider looking into forms of parental monitoring on the computer; whether it be filtering out specific content, setting up time limits, or restricting certain app access. 

Use a StartMeStick for To Bring a Computer Back from the Dead for Your Child

If you’re looking for a new laptop to purchase before the school year begins, you may discover they are expensive, and not so easy to come by! There is currently a shortage of chips, an essential component in laptops (and cars!), and the shortage is projected to last until mid-2023.

If your kids don’t have access to their own personal computer, it’s not always the best solution to have them use the family computer, especially if you’re worried about them potentially messing up files or downloading malicious software.

So if you can’t buy a new laptop, and you can’t use the family computer, what can you do?

With privacy and security at the forefront of its design, the StartMeStick is a plug-in operating system, letting your kids safely and securely tackle their schoolwork without the fear of doing irreversible harm to your computer. The StartMeStick is also perfect if you want to repurpose an old computer for a school laptop. It’s an easy way to breathe a new life into your old computer for anyone! Plus the StartMeStick is compatible with Google Classrooms for anyone learning from home this fall.

Check out the StartMeStick here!

Run a FixMeStick Scan to Get Rid of any Potential Viruses

While antivirus programs are a great way to protect your computer, they don’t always catch everything. Teaching your young ones how to run a FixMeStick scan is a great way to make sure no lingering viruses are bogging down their computer, keeping their device secure from potential threats. 

You can look into the FixMeStick here!

Clean Your Computer

Computers can collect dust after a summer of sitting in a corner while you enjoyed your time off. It can be a good idea to do a careful clean of the surfaces and computer ports which can collect dust and grime over time. Of course, you can’t use soap and water! Canned air, alcohol wipes, and special tech spray are all great tools to give your computer a bit of back-to-school shine.

Once you’ve cleaned your computer physically and made sure it’s virus-free, we’d recommend using a product such as System Mechanic to optimize your computer or clean it of any unnecessary junk that may be taking up space. Such as duplicate files and anything else that isn’t a virus but may be slowing your computer down.

You can get a 50% discount on System Mechanic here!

Backing Up Important Work

There’s nothing worse than losing hours worth of work because of a random computer error, especially if an assignment is due tomorrow. Teaching your kids the value of backing up their files will save everyone a headache in the long run. There are tons of ways you can back up your files, but even repeating the timeless advice of “saving your work as you go” will work wonders for your kids.

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Whether your kids’ classes are online or in-person, their online security should still be a priority. You can always check out further tips on what you can do to ensure their safety, or even consider brushing up on your cybersecurity knowledge with our internet safety guide!