A laptop being looked at from above with a mouse, smart phone and camera

Digital safety

Cybersecurity is important because smartphones, computers, and the internet are now such a fundamental part of modern life, that it's difficult to imagine how we'd function without them. From online banking and shopping to email and social media, it's more important than ever to take steps to prevent cybercriminals from getting hold of our accounts, data, and devices. For more information regarding digital safety, take a look at: Staying safe online.

The University of Hertfordshire is committed to cyber security and you will be asked to set up multi-factor authentication on your student account when you receive your login details

Viruses, worms, spyware, and malware are never far from the public eye, warnings appear frequently in the media as virus outbreaks spread across the world time and again. Anybody with a personal computer and a connection to the Internet is continually at risk of a virus infection. For more information on how to detect these, take a look at: Dealing with viruses and worms on your PC

Think it will never happen to you? Take the 'test' and see how scam aware you really are: https://quiz.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/. You can also find out more about staying safe online by going to the Take Five website .

Digital wellbeing

We have embraced technology in our everyday lives. It often provides huge benefits and helps us with our learning, work and social lives. However, we also need to aware of the impact of technologies and digital services have on our mental, physical, social and emotional health. However, we also need to be aware of the impact of technologies and digital services on our mental, physical, social and emotional health.

Managing your own digital wellbeing - positive actions

To achieve a positive approach to digital wellbeing, you may want to look at some of the suggestions below:

Manage your distractions - think about what notifications are really important to you and start turning off/muting the ones that are not.
Screen time - both iOS and Android have options available to you so that you can monitor, understand and manage your screen time. Google's app ' Digital Wellbeing ' is available to Android One and Pixel users, other Android users can choose from a variety of alternatives. 'ActionDash' is a popular, free, alternative. Users of iOS 12 and above can use 'Screen Time' to monitor usage.
Social media timers - Think about the times where you have lost countless minutes, scrolling through social media. Some platforms like Instagram and Facebook have introduced timers, to notify you when you have met your set appointed allotted time.
Access and use appropriate training and guidance - This will allow you to feel confident in using the different digital tools available to you to support your learning. By going through the training and guidance, you are investing your time to learn effectively.
Take time to explore and understand your own digital preferences and needs - including permanent disabilities, temporary impairments and any mental or physical health challenges that can affect technology use. Take advantage of adjustable features such as screen contrast, text size, colour adjustments, and use of assistive technologies.
Take breaks - Give yourself time away from the screens, notification noise and distractions. Try and not stay sitting in one position for too long, set timers for breaks and allow your body to move.

If you find that once you start at university, you are feeling negatively impacted from technology, then please do contact our Student Disability and Wellbeing Services.

Thinking about what you had read above, what do you think you can do to improve your digital wellbeing before you start university? Head over to www.menti.com and put in the code shown below and let us know.