Question:

We have three children who are very active online. Can you give us any tips on how to make strong passwords?

Answer from Kids and Media’s advisor:

A strong password is a word that is as difficult as possible to work out because it looks like a line of random characters. Head of Security for Microsoft Norway, Ole Tom Seierstad, says that the password should have at least 8 characters, and that 14 or more is ideal. In many systems you can also use spaces in passwords, so that you can make a phrase with several words. It’s a good idea to combine letters, numbers and symbols, and to mix upper and lower cases. The more you use different symbols, the stronger the password will be. It’s a good idea to use different passwords in different systems. Then you’ll avoid having to change your password everywhere if it’s revealed in one place. Don’t use any information about your own identity in the password. Avoid sequences and repeated symbols and letters that appear after each other on the keyboard. Experts think you should change your passwords regularly, but a strong password will hold out for longer. Passwords shorter than 8 characters might already be unsafe after a week. A 14-character or longer password can be safe for several years. And remember, passwords should never be shared with anyone - not even with best friends.