Protecting Family Members and Kids

Your own security is connected to the people around you. An attacker who compromises a family member can use that trust to reach you, and relatives who are less comfortable with technology are often targeted precisely because they are seen as easier marks. Helping them is both kind and self-interested.

For older or less technical relatives, focus on the few highest-impact protections rather than overwhelming them. Set up a password manager and turn on two-factor authentication for their email together. Most importantly, talk through the common scams that target them directly: the urgent call claiming to be a grandchild in trouble, the fake tech-support warning, the message demanding payment in gift cards. Give them a simple rule that requires no judgment in the moment: when anyone pressures you to act fast or pay immediately, stop and call me first.

For children, the priorities shift toward guidance and openness. Use the parental controls built into devices and services to set age-appropriate limits, but understand that no control replaces conversation. The most protective thing you can do is make it safe for a child to come to you when something online frightens or confuses them, without fear of punishment or losing their device. Teach them the same pause-before-you-act habit, and model it yourself. Security at home works best as a shared, ongoing conversation rather than a set of rules imposed once.