Experts: Parents need to talk to kids about cyber security

(NBC) - Parents, how many of you have given your children 'the talk' about cyber-security?

Etiquette expert Anna Post says it's a must.

"Parents engage your kids, ask about their friends on Facebook, ask who just sent that text," Post said.

Especially important are the risks with mobile devices like smartphones or laptops, now that so many students are taking them to school.

"Well you do have to have the ‘cyber-security talk' with your children and it really is about setting boundaries," said Helen Malani, a Norton Cybercrime Education expert.

One boundary is about the apps they download, which even experienced internet security experts have had to deal with.

"My 11-year-old, every once in a while, I see him trying to sneak some new app on his phone and I have never heard of this thing, never seen this thing, I don't know where he got it from," said Stewart McClure of McAfee Internet Security.

McClure is especially keen on apps because he says they can be so easily infected with malware.

"Things that I teach my boys are things like, 'If you're installing this app, who published the thing and what's the rating on it?'"

Ratings on apps can be found online at sites like the Android Market or the Apple App store.

But above all, parents are urged to start the conversation.

"It is part of the family discourse now to talk about cyber-security" Malani said.

With more districts allowing mobile devices in classrooms as tools for learning, concern about cyber-security at school is expected to grow.

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