Six useful checks for your digital household
A shared starting point for adults, children and relatives you support. Choose the checks that fit your circumstances and work through them together where appropriate.
What to have ready
You don't need to do everything at once. Pick the checks that are relevant and work through them at your own pace.
Who it helps
The whole household — adults, children and older relatives you support.
The checks to make
1. Protect the important accounts.
Start with email. Review unique passwords, two-step verification and account-recovery details.
We've reviewed our important accounts.
2. Keep devices up to date.
Install available device and app updates and enable automatic updates where supported. Consider how to replace or limit use of devices that no longer receive security updates.
We've checked our main devices for updates.
3. Keep a recoverable copy of important files.
Review where family photos and documents are stored and how you would recover them after a lost or failed device. Check what your backup service actually covers; synchronising files is not always the same as keeping a separate backup.
We've reviewed our backup and recovery arrangements.
4. Review sharing and contact settings.
Check who can see personal information, location, posts and profiles. For children, review who can contact them through games and apps and who can approve purchases.
We've reviewed the settings relevant to our household.
5. Agree how to check a suspicious request.
Choose a trusted way to verify unexpected messages or payment requests. Make it easy to ask for a second opinion without embarrassment.
We've agreed how to check suspicious requests.
6. Make asking for help normal.
Talk about what to do after a mistake or worrying experience. Give children space to talk. Support other adults with their permission and respect their independence.
We've talked about asking for help.
A conversation worth having
Which of these checks would make the biggest difference to your household this month?
Limits and things to watch for
Completing this list records actions you've taken; it doesn't guarantee security. Your digital life will change as new devices, accounts and circumstances come along.
Official sources
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