Password Ideas for Kids

A child's first passwords are for games, school apps and tablets, and the biggest risk is not a hacker in another country but a friend or classmate who guesses or watches them type it. Children often choose a pet's name, a favourite character or their birthday, which anyone who knows them can guess, and they are more likely to share a password as a sign of friendship.

The easiest strong password for a child is a passphrase: three or four random words joined together, with a number or symbol if the site asks for one. Make it a game by picking the words at random, for example with our passphrase generator, then turning them into a silly picture the child can imagine, such as a purple elephant eating a guitar. Unusual word combinations are memorable for a child and very hard for others to guess. Avoid words that describe the child, like their name, school or team.

Parents should keep a copy of every password in a family password manager or a notebook stored safely at home, and explain three simple rules: never tell a password to friends, only type it on the real app or website, and tell a grown-up if anything asks for it unexpectedly.