Moms and Dads

Maez De Guzman: Weaving Tech Into The Home

by Kevyn Gohu
May 11, 2025

With years of experience in cybersecurity, Maez De Guzman shares how families can stay protected in the digital world

While many of today’s parents try to limit their kids’ use of technology at home, Maez De Guzman embraces her kids’ identity as digital natives. It shows in their home where a smart fridge, voice-activated assistants, augmented reality books, robo vacuums, and smart fans seamlessly fit into the family’s routine.

“Our children are growing up in this tech-savvy atmosphere, where they are not just passive users but active participants in understanding how these devices work,” Maez explains. “We want them to be curious by involving them in discussions about technology and its impact on our lives.”

Encouraging Tech Literacy In Their Kids

One of their favorite bonding activities? Family brainstorming sessions. They help prepare their kids for a future where technology plays an even bigger role, Maez explains. “We explore new tech ideas or even plan our next DIY project to enhance technology at home. It’s a great balance; not only do we get to bond, but we also help our kids understand the digital world.”

It’s clear in how their kids, Ayana and Andrej, navigate their own digital spaces—with email addresses, whitelisted YouTube profiles (so they can only access accounts Maez and her husband approve), and even personal domains and websites for documenting memories. They’re also enrolled in frequent flyer programs to rack up points for future family trips!

“We’re big proponents of tech literacy,” Maez says. “That also means showing them how people use tech in everyday life. We’ve introduced them to sustainability practices like gardening, joining clean-up drives, and even recycling—which we’re so glad Blippi had an episode on!”

However, they still believe tech literacy needs a foundation in real-world experiences. That’s why they play to their strengths as a parenting team. Maez shares her love for arts and crafts and reading, while her husband ensures the whole family stays active and healthy. From splashy water play to weekend sports and even what ends up on their plates, every activity is thoughtfully designed. They even practice the tradition of Zhou Zou, which helps them see what their kids are into.

“On our children’s 1st birthdays, they choose objects that represent their interests and potential career paths. For example, my eldest son chose a laptop, symbolizing his aspiration to become a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) like his dad, while my daughter chose a paintbrush, indicating her dream of being an artist.” She then jokes, “When my son chose the laptop, my husband was so happy!”

And for Maez and her husband, time with their kids is a code they’ll never rewrite or reprogram—no matter how demanding their roles in tech may be.

Applying That Tech Literacy

But being tech literate doesn’t just mean knowing how today’s gadgets work. It also means protecting yourself and your family from people who might abuse technology.

Back then, there were no formal courses in cybersecurity—so Maez had to learn it on her own. Her experience as an IT auditor gave her the fundamentals, but what really sparked her interest was a strange event early in her career: the cybersecurity team in her company was suddenly vacated. It made her realize how much the field was evolving—and just how urgent these issues were becoming.

“It was so odd,” she admits. “Though I can see why people didn’t take it seriously before. Back then, it was just a bunch of firewall controls and network firewalls. Not like what we’re seeing now.”

However, tech’s evolution proved to her that cybersecurity should be a part of tech literacy. “You cannot have a tech without cybersecurity,” she points out.

With cyberattacks and threats becoming more frequent and complex, Maez shares how she usually deals with them: the Zero Trust Mindset. “In short, trust no one. You cannot trust everything you see. Be very careful with what you deal with online. Not everything is what it seems,” she says.

Cybersecurity 101: How To Survive The Digital World

When the pandemic pushed the world to go fully digital, it also exposed just how vulnerable families could be. People had to explore new tech, test out tools, and move operations online—but that also opened doors to cyberattacks. Many of them looked so real and too-good-to-be-true, which Maez says is often the first red flag.

“All these texts come in, and they usually have links. Unless you asked for it, don’t click. That’s like opening the door and inviting scammers in,” she says.

However, most applications and programs already have a first line of defense: a password. While most websites would encourage users to create an eight-character password that mixes letters, numbers, and special characters, others would advise to “salt” their password, making it long and random. But Maez assures that there’s an easier way than creating a long, tiresome and gibberish password to safeguard accounts.

“Making phrases into passwords works just as well,” she explains. “Like for example, ‘ilovegoingtocebu123@’ makes it easier for the user to remember and harder to decipher. Since these phrases are everywhere, it will be very, very, very hard for hackers to figure it out. Unlike when it’s just jumbled.”

Unfortunately, cyber attacks aren’t just password breaking. Sometimes, it comes disguised as a harmless-looking file. The file’s name can seem legitimate, but a lot of times, they can also contain inappropriate content and even code that could destroy the device. But the trick, according to Maez, is knowing the pattern or trend in the name.

“I had a friend from Hong Kong who got phished because of a website that looked exactly like the typical Philippine QR website,” she recalls. “It was even sponsored, so it’s the first thing anyone sees on the Google page! But the one thing you can check is the URL or the website’s name. Usually, a government page or an official page has something more specific than just dot com. Sometimes, it’s dot gov or dot gov dot ph.”

Teaching Kids Cybersecurity

While it’s a little easier to explain to adults how cybersecurity works, the kids are the ones who need it more. It’s not because they have bank accounts or know important information. Rather, it’s because they are exposed to all sorts of things online, and they can come from even the most common of channels. Online video games, forums, and chat rooms leave them exposed, especially if they don’t know how to block and report the potentially dangerous digital space.

Maez De Guzman delivering a talk at a university

Luckily, some kids’ shows have caught up on it and have been integrating into their episodes. “My three-year-old got into the Boss Baby cartoon and while watching, it said, ‘Beware AI face-swapping!'” Maez recalls the shock while laughing. “My son then asked, ‘Mom, what’s AI face-swapping?’ Then, they even had an episode on password protection!”

While Boss Baby tackles cybersecurity, Maez reveals that it’s also good to start with the basics: what security is and the like. Those are some of the shows she’s kept on her kids’ approved list, along with some language-learning episodes that teach the kids Mandarin.

She Pioneers, The Kids Build

Her work in cybersecurity seems to have blazed a trail, as many kids have begun to dive deeper into the ever-changing digital landscape. Schools, she reveals, have begun to offer cybersecurity as an elective for their programming course. While she’s happy for the growing awareness of cybersecurity, Maez knows that there’s still a lot of ground to cover. A lot of it is still dictated by media or what many see on the outside.

“But it’s still impressive,” she shares. “Though, that’s why it can be disheartening for new graduates. When they see the field, it’s not as fancy as it is in the movies.”

Getting into the field of cybersecurity shouldn’t be just for the money. It’s a calling, she describes. “And it’s fulfilling for me because it’s knowing that biggest banks and companies are safe. When you’re in cyber security, it’s like you’re the backbone — you’re the one holding it together.”

As she continues to pave the way for cyber security, Maez also sends a message to other moms who fear tech for its many vulnerabilities. “Embrace technology as your ally. It can help streamline tasks and give more time for what really matters — our family and our own personal group. We’re shaping the future for our kids and It’s our job to build a better working world for them, one that values teamwork, creativity, and inclusivity. You’ve got this, and the world is ready for your amazing contributions!”