BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) –  Cyber security is becoming a national priority in light of recent cyber attacks. And now experts say kids can even be a targets.

Most kids have a digital record that is started minutes after they are born, when proud parents snap that first picture and share it on social media.

Cyber security experts like Arun Vishwanath are now encouraging parents to train their kids on how to avoid becoming victims of cyber hacks. He said, “Children are very good with technology! And it’s a great age to teach them cyber hygiene. It has to start with them.”

Before they can even walk, toddlers are interfacing with computers. They use ipads to play games and watch Netflix. By the time they enter preschool and kindergarten, computers are already a major part of their lives. Vishwanath said, “Many kindergartners are doing homework online, but they have no concept of what could happen if their data were breached.”

He says in this day and age, even the youngest kids are targets. He said, “We need to teach our children to have better passwords from a very young age. Teach them to have cyber hygiene and using safe mechanisms from a very early age.”

Despite all the technology classes and coursework they take as part of their curriculum, basic cyber-security, best practices are far too often left out of the equation. Vishwanath says kids are much more trusting of the internet. But, there are simple steps you can teach them to keep them safe online.

He said, “Password safety, logging off and logging on safe browsing habits, and understanding simple things like multi-factor authentication. It’s not that difficult to teach a child how to do that, because they’re doing far more complex things online which you’d be surprised.”

Vishwanath explains more “cyber-crime fighting habits” in his online web article here.