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Sharing passwords with family? Read this first

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Learn how to safely share passwords with family members when necessary. (Photo: Getty)
Learn how to safely share passwords with family members when necessary. (Photo: Getty)

How to share passwords with your family

If you're like most people, you try to take steps to come up with good passwords and protect your personal information online. However, that gets tricky when family members — both young and old — want to share passwords, such as for streaming services or subscription-based software.

That's why Antigone Davis, global head of safety at Facebook, says it's key to talk about online safety and protecting passwords with family members, especially younger kids. “Just as you lay the foundation for important conversations offline with your children early, you should lay that foundation early online," Davis tells Yahoo Life. "Talk to them about the apps they’re using. When it comes to their social media accounts, remind them that passwords are like locking the front door — they are for their safety and it's important to never share passwords."

She adds: "For parents with younger kids, you should consider apps that give you tools and controls to help your children learn how to safely use the app."

Try LastPass Premium, part of Yahoo Plus Secure, risk-free for 30 days.

Talk to your kids about password safety. (Photo: Getty)
Talk to your kids about password safety. (Photo: Getty)

If you are a typical internet user, there's a good chance that you have used the same password for many, if not all, of your online accounts. Here's why that's particularly risky: If someone is able to hack into one of your accounts, they could have access to all of your information.

What’s more, if you're sharing passwords with a family member or friend, keeping the password secret isn't always possible. (Whatever you do, don’t send these passwords to anyone in the form of an email.)

How to securely share passwords with family

Sharing passwords with family members isn't the safest move, but it can be done. The longer and more random the password — especially when you’re sharing passwords with family members — the better. Password managers like LastPass Premium help make sure you are using strong passwords that are complex and unique.

So what's a password manager? It’s a secure app that stores passwords and usernames for websites. The apps create random strings of letters, numbers, or symbols, with a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. It allows you to manage multiple accounts and keep track of your passwords.

Try LastPass Premium, part of Yahoo Plus Secure, risk-free for 30 days.

Share passwords without hassle when you use a password manager. (Photo: Getty)
Share passwords without hassle when you use a password manager. (Photo: Getty)

With a password manager, you have a convenient way to store all of your passwords securely. After you grant the app permission, the app will create one-time passwords that can be shared between devices or utilized as one-time access codes. Users can also create their own unique passcodes so they don't have to use any generated ones.

Try LastPass Premium, part of Yahoo Plus Secure, risk-free for 30 days.

In order to prevent cybercriminals from accessing your passwords, identity, and personal information, including your bank account information, users need to choose strong passwords and change their passwords regularly. Apps like LastPass help you generate a strong password that will work across multiple devices. The software also lets you share passwords with friends or family members so they don't have to remember them.

What a password manager does

Password managers generate strong, random passwords — these are longer passwords without easily discernible words that make it harder for cybercriminals to hack your account. Password managers also:

  • Store all your usernames/passwords in one place with a single click

  • Give you the ability to share passwords between multiple users on different devices

  • Store your information securely so it will auto-fill your shipping and payment information automatically

The upside of password managers is that most of them will monitor your family's email addresses continuously for involvement in any data breaches.

Multiple users can share passwords using apps like LastPass. (Photo: Getty)
Multiple users can share passwords using apps like LastPass. (Photo: Getty)

How family password managers work

  • Your family members use their own unique login credentials.

  • When they log into a website or app that requires authentication, the site sends them an encrypted password reset link via email.

  • This means all of your family members' accounts are protected by one master password.

Try LastPass Premium, part of Yahoo Plus Secure, risk-free for 30 days.

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