Stay Safe While Surfing the Web!

Social media has become an incredibly influential part of our everyday lives. As technology progresses, it will only become more and more important to be able to navigate social media in a safe and responsible way. It is especially important to teach our youth how to protect themselves against predators, scammers, and people with bad intentions in general. 

Your Experience

One of the easiest ways to protect yourself is by customizing the content shown to your on your social media sites. Many social media, such as Twitter, allow you to block out certain keywords or age-inappropriate content. It is also important to report or flag inappropriate or hurtful messages that you come across. 

Some websites or apps may ask you for permission to track your data. Always select NO to this. This protects you from companies that want to collect your personal data and information.

Internet Friendships

While you can make meaningful friendships online, not everyone has good intentions when sending a friend request. But there are protective measures that you can take.

Only accept friend requests from real-life friends or people you've met before. Don't respond to friend requests or messages from strangers, even other young people. There is a possibility that it is a predator that is 'catfishing' as a kid.

If you do make a friend online, take your time getting to know them and letting them get to know you. Don't let anyone pressure you to meet in person, or even to give personal information.

Protecting Privacy

The best place to start to ensure privacy protection is to check the privacy settings of any social media network you are using. Do you know what information your social media has access to? It is always best to be sure.

Make your social media accounts private. This allows you to control who is able to see your content. Also, remember to never post any addresses or contact information. Don't tag your posts with your location.

Digital Footprints

What you post online, stays online forever. Make sure that the content that you post is appropriate and true to your character.

Only post what you would be comfortable with family, friends, and employers seeing. Prospective employers often search what you have posted on social media in order to get an idea about what kind of person you are, and how responsible you are with what you share. These employers won't want a negative reflection of their company.

Be kind in your interactions with others. Ask yourself, are you following the golden rule? It is incredibly important to treat others how you'd like to be treated. Never say something online that you don't believe you would say to someone's face.

Your posts are a reflection of you, your beliefs, and your character. Portray yourself in a respectful light.