Most people use social media to stay connected with friends and have fun. However, there are people who don't play by the same rules, and use it as a platform to offend people or cause them harm.
Don't let these users ruin your experience, but make sure that you do what you can to stay safe.
Simple steps
Set your profiles to private
Think carefully about what you post online and who you want to see it. Consider setting your profiles to 'friends/followers' only.
Remember anything you post can be shared
Even with strong privacy settings in place, it is important that you come to terms with the fact that what you post online is never really private and can be shared. It is therefore important that you always think before you post.
Recognise the fakes
Not everyone on social media will be who they say they are. There can be young people and adults who pretend to be someone else and could cause you harm. For example they may want to trick you into sharing private or personal information that they could use against you. It's important that you never meet up with someone you don't know, and that you always let an adult know where you are going and who you are meeting. There have been occasions where children are tricked into meeting adults who then cause them harm.
Spring clean your contacts
Once you make a friend online, it doesn't have to be permanent. Regularly review and clean up your contacts - particularly anyone who spreads negative content or doesn't make you feel good about yourself.
Block anyone who bothers you
All social media sites allow you to block people who you don't want accessing your account. It is not permanent and they won't be notified. You may also have the option of muting someone so they don't know you can no longer see their posts.
Answers & Comments
Answer:
Staying safe on social media
Most people use social media to stay connected with friends and have fun. However, there are people who don't play by the same rules, and use it as a platform to offend people or cause them harm.
Don't let these users ruin your experience, but make sure that you do what you can to stay safe.
Simple steps
Set your profiles to private
Think carefully about what you post online and who you want to see it. Consider setting your profiles to 'friends/followers' only.
Remember anything you post can be shared
Even with strong privacy settings in place, it is important that you come to terms with the fact that what you post online is never really private and can be shared. It is therefore important that you always think before you post.
Recognise the fakes
Not everyone on social media will be who they say they are. There can be young people and adults who pretend to be someone else and could cause you harm. For example they may want to trick you into sharing private or personal information that they could use against you. It's important that you never meet up with someone you don't know, and that you always let an adult know where you are going and who you are meeting. There have been occasions where children are tricked into meeting adults who then cause them harm.
Spring clean your contacts
Once you make a friend online, it doesn't have to be permanent. Regularly review and clean up your contacts - particularly anyone who spreads negative content or doesn't make you feel good about yourself.
Block anyone who bothers you
All social media sites allow you to block people who you don't want accessing your account. It is not permanent and they won't be notified. You may also have the option of muting someone so they don't know you can no longer see their posts.