Abstract
Software is developed specifically for children and this often requires them to authenticate themselves, usually by entering a password. Password hygiene is important for children, because the principles they learn in early life will often endure across their life span. Children learn from their parents, siblings, teachers, and peers. They also learn from educational resources, such as children’s books. We carried out a content analysis of a range of children’s books that aims to educate children about passwords. We used directional coding, as informed by a systematic literature review of methods, such as those used in other content analysis-based studies of children’s books. We examined the principles the books taught, and whether these were correct. We also analysed how the books portrayed the genders of characters, in various roles. We found that principle coverage was variable, with books sometimes teaching outdated principles. Genders were evenly represented in the books. Finally, our analysis revealed conflation of the terms “safety” and “security” in the cyber domain. We conclude the paper by justifying the adjectives we use in the title.
Highlights
The use of digital technology by children has increased dramatically in recent years (Brittan et al 2018)
There is an urgent need for children to be educated about cyber security (Edwards et al 2015; Willard 2012), and for them to learn the right concepts from the outset (Renaud et al 2019)
Our analysis revealed a tendency for the books to conflate the key concepts of safety and security
Summary
The use of digital technology by children has increased dramatically in recent years (Brittan et al 2018). It is fair to say that primary school children have never known life without technology, and that many are increasingly using digital technology without supervision. A range of IT systems are designed for use by children.. A range of IT systems are designed for use by children.1 Many of these require them to authenticate themselves, presumably to protect the child’s account from impersonators. This is warranted when one realises that children are at increased risk of falling victim to a cyber crime (Power 2011). There is an urgent need for children to be educated about cyber security (Edwards et al 2015; Willard 2012), and for them to learn the right concepts from the outset (Renaud et al 2019)
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