Active fit: How to create strong online passwords for your kids

Creating a strong password for any account is essential in keeping your data safe. Children need to also understand that their accounts may be at risk of being compromised if they do not create a strong password.

They may have different accounts for school or entertainment purposes that require a username and password. These websites may be secure; however, a simple password, such as abcdef or 123456, will put their account at risk.

Those who wish to obtain personal information will have a much easier chance to guess a simple six-character password rather than a complex 12-character password. Every added character makes it even more difficult for hackers to obtain access. According to Scientific American, a 12-character password will take 62 trillion times longer to obtain than a six-character password. Below are some tips for you and your child to create an effective and safe password:

• Never reuse the same password for another account. If they guess a password for one account, hackers will most likely use it for any other accounts you may have.

• Do not use personal information, such as your name, birthday, address, etc., as these may be easier to guess.

• Use a 12-character password including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

• Avoid using words that can be found in the dictionary.

• Random passwords are strongest. Password generators are a useful tool for this purpose.

• To help remember a password, create a random phrase or take a sentence from a favorite book, and use the first letters from each word in the sentence, make each uppercase or lowercase, and insert different numbers and symbols between letters.

Children should understand the importance of creating strong passwords and, depending on the child’s age, parents should keep and maintain all passwords in a safe manner.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Active fit: How to create strong online passwords for your kids