Internet Safety tips for young people:
Keep your personal details private
It's best not to give out your personal details like your email address, mobile number or home address to online friends. Keep that stuff to yourself. Remember that you don’t know who your friend’s friends are… or your friend’s friends’ friends! And you don’t know what they’ll do with your phone number if you give it out by mistake. If you’re sharing photos, remember to only share them on trustworthy sites.
Think about the photos and videos you upload
If you publish a picture or video online anyone can see it and share it if they want to. It is tempting to share loads of stuff on your profile but remember the internet is a public space. Test yourself by asking “would I want my teacher/Mum/Dad/stranger on the train to see this?!”
If the answer’s no… don’t post it!
Adjust your account settings (sometimes called “Privacy Settings”) so only approved friends can instant message you or leave comments on your profile. This won’t ruin your social life – new people can still send you friend requests and message you, they just won’t be able to pester you. This means that people you don’t want to see your profile can’t!
Be picky
Be careful who you agree to accept as friends. Unfortunately because there are so many young people using these sites, adults with bad intentions sometimes use them to make contact with children too; so you’re safer to only chat to people you know in the real world.
Stick with reliable file sharing sites
A lot of files on unregulated file sharing sites aren’t good quality so to make sure you can actually hear and see your music or videos properly it’s best to stick with reliable file sharing sites. Sharing also carries legal risks as many files on file-sharing services are protected by copyright laws.
Swapping files can also mean you end up swapping viruses or spy-ware, which can really damage your computer, and even lead to more pop-ups and SPAM. So it’s a good idea to pay for your downloads; this will help protect yourself and your computer from dodgy stuff or viruses.
Be aware of spam and viruses
SPAM or junk emails and texts - don’t believe it, reply to it or use it. Also, it’s not a good idea to open files that are from people you don’t know. You won’t know what’s in them – it could be a virus or an inappropriate image.
Don’t believe everything you read
Some people lie online so use your head and don’t believe absolutely everything you read online.
Meeting online friends
It’s better to keep online friends online. Don’t meet up with any strangers without an adult you trust.
Talk about it
It's never too late to tell someone if something makes you feel uncomfortable. If you feel anyone is being weird with you or your friends; or if someone is bullying you on one of these sites – contact the service provider (like Bebo or Facebook). There is often a Repost Abuse option that you can click on.
