Worried Parent?
…or want to help them into a cyber career?
This is the ideal time for your child to head down the route into employment in a Cyber Security career. There are lots of different roles suiting every different type of interest. Not all require significant technical skill but may be more suited to problem solvers and strategic thinkers.
“Thank you so much… The school are being so positive now and very excited about his future. I think they have much more of an understanding of his and other kids potential who have an interest in cyber security and what this can lead to.
“It has made such a difference to us. Thank you again for your help and
Mrs N, West Sussex
encouragement”
The most important aspect is that you help them understand what is and isn’t legal, so that they don’t head down the wrong route to become a Cyber criminal. As such, we would ask that you sit down and go through the law and consequences with them, before discussing their future career and how to use the resources linked to on this site to develop.
Read on to find out more about the law around Computer Misuse and then the good news – the opportunities and job roles available in the cyber world.
Learning Activities during Covid-19
Thousands of young people are being offered the chance to join a virtual cyber security school as part of plans to make sure the country develops the next generation of professional cyber defenders.
At a time when schools remain closed to most children, the online initiative aims to inspire future talent to work in the cyber security sector and give students a variety of extracurricular activities to do from the safety of their homes.
Teens can learn how to crack codes, fix security flaws and dissect criminals’ digital trails while progressing through the game as a cyber agent. This will help them develop important skills needed for future jobs, particularly in cyber security.
The school provides free weekly webinars run by industry experts teaching fundamental security disciplines such as digital forensics, cryptography and operating systems.
A game designed to teach teenagers the fundamentals of cyber security has also been released for free. Players protect the virtual city ‘CyberLand’ from cyber attacks while learning key skills.
Concerned about a loved one? – We can help!
If you are worried about what a loved one is doing online we can help. It is not too late for them or you. Now is the time to try and divert them to use their skills in a positive way and avoid criminal sanction. We have included a cyber glossary so that you understand the terms they may use and leave you better informed.
We are the Police and therefore have a legal duty to discharge… however, the Cyber Choices ethos is to try and divert people positively, not to criminalise unnecessarily. We can discuss your concerns and worries and signpost you towards which resources listed here can help.
All we need is your name and contact number or email address.
If you want to send through why you are concerned it will help us help you. In the meantime:
- Make sure you know what they are doing online?
- Who they are communicating with? Can their ‘friends’ be verified?
- Talk to your child – try to learn about computing with them. You will soon better understand what they are doing and what their ability and risk is
- Net Aware (www.net-aware.org.uk) will help you understand some of the sites, games or apps they spend time on
- Moderate the amount of time they spend online. More than 4 hours online is deemed excessive, so encourage other non-computer based activities. Your home broadband can restrict these hours automatically, minimising conflict
- Monitor what they are doing on the computer by placing all devices they have access to in a communal area of the house
Our remit is cyber dependent crime – this is crime where the use of information technology is key to the crime such as hacking, computer intrusion or denial of service attacks. Should you have concerns about cyber enabled crime such as sexting, questionable images or cyber bullying help is available from your local Police service.