I don’t have any kids yet, but I know a few people who do.

Okay, so I know more than a few. I know many, and almost all of them have something in common: their computers are constantly being infected with viruses, trojans and other types of malware. I’m not talking about the occasional adware popup or tracking cookie—these machines are usually just crawling with malicious software.

There’s sort of an old myth that your twelve year old is always going to know more about the computer than you. Perhaps this is true when it comes to first-person shooters and making goofy videos, but kids don’t know everything about computers, and security is one of those areas where they generally seem to lack the fundamentals.

Of course, they’re invincible, too. There’s always that. Ask them sometime; “Is it even possible that you might run into a virus on the Internet?” They’ll probably look at you like you’re an idiot. Again.

But it happens, and it seems to happen a lot. You’ve got to educate your kids about malicious software, because a keylogger doesn’t care who downloads itself; it’s going to send login and password information, whether it’s to a Facebook profile (bad news) or your financial accounts (worse).

First, if you’ve got kids using the Internet, try to keep an eye on them at least some of the time. Since this is impossible, though, make sure you’re using Firefox with the NoScript plug-in. No Internet Explorer! There are more holes in that browser than a hunk of Swiss.

Secondly, learn about the various dangers yourself, and make sure you warn your kids. No kid is going to be able to resist “lol is this you?” or “lol funny video” followed by a shortened URL, unless someone tells him that such links lead only to malware.

Thirdly, obtain the burliest antivirus and firewall software you can afford, and pay the money to keep it updated. This is vital anyway, but if you’ve got kids clicking a mile a minute on Facebook and Twitter, you really need to take maximum precautions.

I suppose you could try to limit your kids’ access to the Internet, but you could also try to wrestle a grizzly bear while you’re at it. Good luck with that one.

Finally, consider getting your own computer or laptop that the kids aren’t allowed to even touch, and use that one for business and banking. At least your accounts will be safe(r), assuming you’re taking the necessary precautions on this computer as well.

Okay, does this post officially put me in the “old person complaining about young people” camp? It does sort of have that “I tell ya, the kids today, with their Facebooks and their Twitters,” flavor doesn’t it?

I don’t know, but I know it’s important to get your kids hip to the dangers of malware as soon as you can. Your own financial security may depend on it.