We are living in an age where everything digital is booming. In South Africa alone, there over 43.5 million internet users and whether we like it or not, social media plays an important role in our children’s lives. It helps them stay connected to their loved ones, sharing memories as well as reading up on the latest news and learning how to express their voices through these instant apps. However, there are also dangers surrounding social media and it is important to take safety precautions.
It is important to know how to protect yourself online when it comes to social media and ensure that your experience is secure.
Here are 4 Social Media Tips for Teenagers
- Switch off location services
With a lot of cybersecurity threats out there it is important to have your security location services turned off because you could be vulnerable to physical threats, with people knowing where your direct location is.
Do not check in to places…
When posting and sharing on social media ensure that you do not ‘check in’ to places as this is also opening you up to a lot of dangers.
- Always update your privacy settings
Customize your preferences…
One of the great things about these social media apps is that you can control who views or comments on your post by pressing a simple button. Every app comes with privacy settings that you should check out and customize to your own preferences. Limiting who sees your posts or who can comment to only people that you are close with, is another way to ensure that you are always safe online.
- A friend request doesn’t mean accept
There are a lot of dangers and crimes that happen online through connecting with strangers. These could be cyber bullying, human trafficking, exposing you to pornography, rape and a lot more so always be careful with who you accept as your friends online.
Never agree to meeting an online friend in person alone…
An important thing to always keep in mind is to never agree to meet an online friend in person alone. Online friends may have a different identity to who they say they are online. If you receive any explicit photographs or videos, notify an adult and block the contact.
- Check it out before you post
As cliché as it sounds but, whatever you post really does live online so you need to be extra careful before sharing anything. Sharing personal information like your identity number, phone number or home address could put you in so much danger, do not open yourself to such.
If you don’t want your grandparents to see, don’t post it at all…
Do not post photos that could harm you in the future, photos of yourself half dressed, or engaging in unwise behaviour because this could jeopardize your reputation when looking for employment. A simple rule, if you don’t want your grandparents to see, don’t post it at all. Be careful that what you say and do on social media does not harm your Christian witness. Ephesians 4:29 instructs us to: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear”.
Always ensure that you install protective software for your devices, control who has access to your phone and choosing secure passwords and constantly update software on your devices.