Editorial

The Password Puzzle:

Teaching Young Children What Security Teams Wish Adults Knew

Wednesday, April 01, 2026 | 5 MINS

Guest Authors: Steve Shepherd and Samantha Meghawry

Book three, Pixel's Password Puzzle, starts with Seth in a panic. His account has been hacked, because his password was easy to guess and he'd used it everywhere. Pixel helps Fizz and Seth work out what went wrong, and what a safe username and a proper password actually look like, including the idea that your email for games shouldn't be the same one your parents use for everything else. 

None of this is new to anyone reading Amigos Network. It's the same advice every security awareness campaign gives working adults, over and over, usually because it still isn't sticking. What's different is the age we're pitching it at, and the reason it works better here: young child has no bad habits to unlearn yet. Seth's hacked account is a story, not a policy document, and stories are what change behaviour before rules do.

There's a quieter lesson in this book too, about separation. Keep your gaming email away from your family's important accounts, so if one gets compromised, the damage doesn't spread. It's basic hygiene, the kind that underpins far larger systems many of you build and defend professionally. We're simply teaching the youngest version of it, years before anyone hands them a corporate laptop and a password policy they'll resent.

If nothing else, this book is a reminder that the fundamentals rarely change. Only the stakes do, as the accounts get bigger and the consequences of getting it wrong grow with them. Seth loses access to a game. An adult who never learned the same lesson can lose a great deal more.

About the D.O.G Books

Children are entering the digital world earlier than ever, often before they have the experience or language to recognise risk. The D.O.G. books make online safety accessible at exactly the right time, using memorable stories and relatable characters to explore sharing, privacy, misinformation, gaming and screen time. Crucially, they do more than warn children; they build emotional resilience, critical thinking and the confidence to seek help.

The books are available at thedoguk.com

Steve Shepherd

Co-Author and Online Safety Specialist for D.O.G. books.

Working alongside Samantha Meghawry, he helps write the books and shape their safeguarding themes, drawing on three decades in policing, defence and digital resilience to turn complex online risks into clear, practical lessons for children and families.

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Samantha Meghawry

Founder and Creative Director, Little Star Design Studio
Creator of D.O.G books

Drawing on seventeen years’ experience in design, education and creative learning, Samantha combines storytelling, emotional wellbeing and online safety to help young children navigate digital life with confidence.

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