“My 10-year-old came home in tears because he was the only kid in class without a smartphone.”
That’s what a fellow parent told me recently over coffee.
And honestly? I felt that ache in my chest too. I’ve had similar conversations with other parents — all of us trying to figure out the right way to raise kids in a digital-first world, but constantly second-guessing our decisions because of what everyone else is doing.
It’s a hard line to walk.
As a cybersecurity expert and a parent, I live with the burden of knowing how insecure most online habits are. I’ve spent years helping companies recover from breaches, but nothing hits harder than seeing bad security habits handed down to kids from day one.
Take school, for example. Not long ago, I sat in on a conversation with teachers about how they’re teaching students to be “safe online.” When they got to passwords, I braced myself.
“We encourage the kids to create memorable passwords,” one said. “Like a pet’s name and their birthday.”
I tried not to cringe.
Meanwhile, in the real world of cybersecurity, we know that password vaults, MFA, and alias emails are the baseline. But those concepts? They rarely make it into the classroom. Not because teachers don’t care — but because most parents and educators haven’t been taught these things either.
That’s where the problem starts.
Kids are so excited to use tech, but we’re letting them build habits that leave them exposed from the beginning. It’s not intentional. It’s just the reality of trying to parent in an age where every device wants their attention and every app wants their data.
So I did something about it.
I wrote a book, and I launched two tools — SecureInSeconds and SecureAlias — to help everyday families take small, smart steps to protect themselves online.
🔒 SecureInSeconds is a free mailing list where I send 1-minute cybersecurity tips once a week. No fluff, no jargon — just the stuff I wish every parent knew.
📫 SecureAlias lets you generate alias email addresses on the fly — perfect for protecting your inbox (or your child’s) from spam, data leaks, and shady apps.
These weren’t built for tech people. They were built for parents. For families. For people like that 10-year-old’s mum who just wants to do the right thing — even when it’s hard.
If you’re trying to raise kids with better digital habits… I’ve got your back.
👉 secureinseconds.com — for weekly tips + a free book
👉 alias.secureinseconds.com — for safer email, without the hassle
We might not be able to change the entire internet.
But we can protect our little corner of it.
And that’s a start worth making. ❤️