Passwords Are Like Toothbrushes

Lesson script (for the kid, with a grown-up nearby)

Okay, last lesson. This one's about passwords.

Passwords are like toothbrushes. Stay with me.

You don't share your toothbrush with anyone. Not your best friend. Not your brother or sister. Not your cousin who's sleeping over. Not even your mom or dad. Your toothbrush is just yours.

Passwords are the same. You don't share them. Not with friends, not with strangers, not with people online who say they're from a company and need to check your account.

Why we don't share passwords

Your password is the key to your account. Whoever has your password can pretend to be you. They can read your messages. They can change your stuff. They can lock you out so you can't get back in.

Even your best friend? Even your best friend. Not because your best friend would do something bad, but because passwords spread. If you tell your best friend, and they tell theirs, soon a lot of people have your key. That's how passwords get into trouble.

What makes a password strong?

Three things, the same three things that work for grown-ups.

One: long. Long passwords are stronger than short ones. Four words stuck together — like “purple-banana-cloud-bicycle” — is a great password. Easy for you to remember, really hard for a bad guy to guess.

Two: different. Different passwords for different accounts. So if one of them ever leaks, the others are still safe. Don't use the same password for your game, your school login, and your email.

Three: secret. Same rule as toothbrushes. You don't share, even with friends.

How grown-ups help

Here's where the grown-up in your life comes in. They are going to help you set up your accounts. They might use a thing called a password manager — that's an app that remembers all the passwords for you so you don't have to. You and your grown-up pick one big main password together, and the password manager handles the rest.

If you're old enough to have an account on a game, a learning app, or a tablet, your grown-up gets to help with the password. That's not because they don't trust you. It's because passwords are a job grown-ups are still figuring out too, and you both can do it together.

If you forget a password

It's okay! Everyone forgets passwords. Tell a grown-up. They'll help you reset it. You don't need to type your password into anything that asks you to “verify” it in an email or a message — that's a trick. Just tell your grown-up, “I forgot my password,” and they'll help.

Recap

Passwords are like toothbrushes. You don't share. Strong passwords are long, different from each other, and secret. Grown-ups help you set them up.

That's the end of CyberSmart Kids! Four lessons. Five private words. Same rules online as in real life. Always tell a grown-up. And passwords are like toothbrushes.

Good job, kiddo. You did the work.