CyberAware.ie

Strong Passwords and Two-Factor Authentication If you only do two things to protect yourself online, let them be this: Use strong, unique passwords Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) These might sound simple, but they’re powerful — and for most people, they’re enough to stay safe in everyday life. What makes a strong password? A strong password is one that: Is long — at least 12–16 characters Is unique — used only in one place Looks random — not based on something someone could guess about you A lot of people use phrases like IAlwaysForgetMyBankLogin2024 . It sounds long and personal, but that’s also the problem — it’s guessable. If you use a similar phrase for other sites (like IAlwaysForgetMySocialLogin2024 ), it becomes a pattern. And patterns are easy to break. Instead, go for something that doesn’t relate to you at all: 🟢 Ocean-Ladder-Bottle-Swim!53 🟢 FuzzyLamp12$CactusRun 🟢 z!X4eR#tUnicorn-Skate You don’t need to remember them all. That’s ...

Last weekend, I took my boys to the cinema to see The Minecraft Movie . The place was packed—I've never seen so many children crammed into one screening. It felt a bit like a Ryanair flight. Every scene, no matter how small or oddly timed, was met with applause. Clapping for the sake of clapping. It was hard not to feel a little out of place. I’ve been playing Minecraft for over a decade. We even run our own family server at home. So this wasn’t a case of a confused parent trying to connect with their kids by tagging along to something they don’t understand. I introduced Minecraft to them. They play because I played. But the film? It wasn’t great. Some bits of action, a predictable arc, a sprinkling of mobs and visual effects… and that was about it. It felt like marketing in motion—something built more for buzz than substance. And judging by the viral clips flooding TikTok—popcorn flying, kids chanting “Chicken Jockey!” like it’s a sacred ritual, police being called into cinemas—...

A while ago, I came across a video from Barnardos Ireland, hosted at Google’s Dublin offices. It wasn’t breaking news, but it stayed with me. The session was about online safety – in particular, the world of gaming and how children experience it. The title was “Plugged In and Switched Off,” which, if I’m honest, felt a little too clever at first. But the conversations it held were anything but glib. What unfolded over the 90 minutes was a slow, layered picture of digital life for kids today. It made me stop and think – not just about children, but about us adults, and what we model. We’ve come so far, yet I’m not sure we’ve grown with the tech around us. Watching and Listening Barnardos has been running online safety workshops in schools across Ireland, with support from Google. The format is simple – go into schools, talk with kids (mainly aged 8 to 12), run workshops for parents in the evenings. In the past year alone, they’ve reached nearly 40,000 children. That’s no small thin...

Not long ago, The Journal posed a question: “What age should children get their first smartphone?” The replies came in fast—hundreds of them. Some were thoughtful, others defensive. A few were angry. It didn’t take long for the conversation to drift from the question itself to something deeper: trust, fear, control, and the pressure modern parents feel. I've been sitting with that discussion for a while. Not to add more heat, but to try and understand what’s really going on underneath. Because this isn’t just about smartphones. It’s about the kind of culture we’re shaping—for our children, and for ourselves. What Are We Modelling? In reading through the comments, what struck me most wasn’t just the worry parents had about their kids. It was how many of us, as adults, still wrestle with the same things. People spoke about screen time, about addiction, about the temptation to check messages behind the wheel. And I couldn’t help but think: If we’re still learning to handle these too...