30 days to safer habits

Day 1 🔐 Lock your phone Set a PIN with at least 6 digits, or use your fingerprint/face, to lock your phone or tablet. Check that the screen locks by itself after 1–2 minutes. If you lose your device, the lock is the first line of defence for your photos, messages and accounts. Day 2 🔄 Update day In Settings, check whether your phone, tablet or computer has any updates, and install them. Turn on automatic updates for the system and your apps. Updates close security holes that attackers already know about. Day 3 📍 Find my device Check that the feature for finding a lost device is switched on: Find My on iPhone, or Find Hub (previously Find My Device) on Android. If your phone is lost or stolen, you can find it, lock it or erase it remotely. Day 4 🗑️ Clear out your apps Delete at least 3 apps or games you haven't opened for more than a month. Every app you don't need is one more door for risks and for data collection. Day 5 🧩 My passphrase Change the password of an important account to a passphrase of 4 random words. Try out a similar example — not the real password — in the “Password checker”. Long passphrases are much harder to crack and easier to remember. Day 6 🔑 2FA on your email With a parent's help, turn on two-step verification (2FA) on your email account and keep the backup codes somewhere safe. Your email is the master key: it's used to recover all your other accounts. Day 7 🎛️ App permissions In Settings → Privacy (or Permissions), see which apps have access to your location, camera, microphone and contacts. Remove at least one permission that isn't needed. Many apps collect more data than they need in order to work. Day 8 📸 Camera without location Turn off location saving in your camera photos: on iPhone in Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera → Never; on Android in the Camera app's settings. Photos can accidentally reveal where you live or which school you go to. Day 9 🔒 Private profile Check that your profiles on social media and in games are private, and that only friends can send you messages. A private profile keeps strangers away from your photos and your life. Day 10 👨‍👩‍👧 Family rules Talk with your family for 10 minutes and write down 3–5 rules together for using the internet at home, e.g. where phones charge at night and what we do when we see something bad. Rules we make together are easier for everyone to stick to. Day 11 💻 Who's signed in? In the security settings of your email, WhatsApp (Linked devices) and social media, see which devices you're signed in on. Sign out of any device you don't recognise or no longer use. An old or unknown device that's still signed in could give someone access to your messages. Day 12 🎣 Train against scams Play the “Spot the scam” game and read at least one example on the “Common scams” page. The more examples you see, the faster you'll recognise a real scam. Day 13 💬 Kind comment day Today, write three kind and sincere comments or messages to friends or family. Kindness online makes the internet nicer and safer for everyone. Day 14 ☁️ Back up your photos Check whether your photos are automatically backed up (to the cloud or to a computer). If not, turn it on with a parent's help. If your phone is lost, breaks or gets infected, your memories stay safe. Day 15 🔍 Has my data been leaked? With a parent, enter your email address at haveibeenpwned.com and see whether it has been part of a data breach. If it has, change the password for that account. When a website is hacked, the stolen passwords get tried on your other accounts too. Day 16 🗝️ Password manager With a parent, choose a password manager — e.g. the one built into your phone (Google or Apple) or a trusted app — and save your first password in it. A password manager remembers all your passwords, so each one can be long and different. Day 17 📧 Clean up your email Unsubscribe from at least 5 newsletters or ads you don't read, and mark suspicious messages as spam. In a tidier inbox, it's easier to spot a scam message. Day 18 🌙 Screen-free evening Tonight, spend the hour before bed without screens: read, play a board game or chat with your family. Your phone charges outside your room. Good sleep helps you learn, stay calm and make smarter decisions online. Day 19 📶 The home router With your parents, check whether the router's admin password has been changed from the factory one, and whether the Wi-Fi password is long. If not, plan the change together. The router protects every device in the home, so it mustn't keep its factory password. Day 20 👥 Who follows me? Look at your list of followers and friends on social media and in games. Remove anyone you don't know in real life. The fewer strangers who can see your posts, the safer you are. Day 21 🔕 Notifications under control Turn off notifications from apps that aren't important (games, shops, videos), and keep only the ones from people. Fewer notifications mean fewer distractions and less of a pull back to the screen. Day 22 🛡️ Block and report Find the Block and Report buttons in the app or game you use most, and show someone else where they are. When something bad happens, you need to know straight away where to click. Day 23 👵 Teach your grandparents Teach a grandparent or an older relative one thing: how to spot a scam text, or why they should never give out a code they receive by message. Older people are often targeted by scammers, and you can help protect them. Day 24 📡 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Turn off automatic connection to open Wi-Fi networks, delete old saved networks, and turn off Bluetooth when you're not using it. Your device shouldn't connect by itself to networks you don't know. Day 25 🧹 Clear out old accounts Make a list of accounts you've opened and no longer use (games, apps, websites). Delete at least one of them. Forgotten accounts can be hacked without you noticing and can give away your data. Day 26 🤖 Real or AI? Find a viral video or photo and check who published it first and whether reliable sources are reporting it too. Don't share it without checking. In the age of AI, the source matters more than how real something looks. Day 27 🤫 The family secret word As a family, choose a secret word that you only use when someone asks for urgent help by phone or message. This word unmasks scammers who imitate a family member's number or voice. Day 28 🔎 Search for your name With a parent, search for your first name and surname online and see what comes up. If you find something you don't like, work out together how to get it removed. This way you see your digital footprint the way other people see it. Day 29 🆘 My help plan Write down on a piece of paper the names of 3 adults you could tell if something bad happens to you online, plus the Kosovo Police number: 192. When you're worried, it's easier to act if you already know who to turn to. Day 30 🏆 My promise Complete the “Safety checklist” or the “Cyber Passport” and write your promise: 3 safety habits you'll keep up even after the challenge. Good habits only become permanent when we repeat them every day.