I know there’s many young kids on here, and I’m kinda worried that y’all will get taken advantage of. So I’m going to provide a list of things you should be aware of. This is general list, but pretty much everything is self explanatory and is common sense. If you’re not sure about posting something, then don’t do it.
Profile
Stuff you can put on your profile
This includes general things that can apply to anyone
- your interests - like sports teams and fandoms
- things you like - colors, animals, science… etc
- hobbies - art, sports, crafts, music… etc
Stuff you should not put on your profile
This would be personal information that can be used to identify you
- where you live - stuff like your address, town or zip code
- your legal name
- your age
- your birthday
Posts
What you can post
- anything you’ve created
- anything relating to your interests
- A funny thing that’s happened to you or that you found
- You can post photos of yourself, but I advise against it. If you do want to post a photo of yourself (like you made a cool hat) i’d recommend censoring your face.
If you’re a minor, your accounts should ideally be private— like if you have an instagram.
what you shouldn’t post
- any personal information (see list)
- inappropriate photos
- mean comments
- someone else’s personal information (this is also called doxxing)
If you are a minor (under 18) you really should not be posting photos of yourself online.
DMs/inter-user communication
DMs are direct messages, and are usually used to communicate with one person in specific— much like texting or emailing. These channels are unmoderated which means that anything and everything can be posted in one. Unless you or the other person flags something, It will not be taken down.
If you’re just sending a pattern or funny photo to someone else, it’s totally fine.
The problem with DMs is that someone can use them to take advantage of you, like asking for personal information or pictures of you.
If someone does this, report and block them immediately.
What to look out for
- if someone asks for your age
- asks for any other personal information
- Asks for photos of you
- Has odd requests - like “take a photo of yourself holding [object]”
- Says anything inappropriate to you
- tries to isolate you from other people
- has a generally off-putting vibe
- Makes weird comments about photos of you
- sends inappropriate messages and photos to you
if anything listed above happens to you, immediately flag, report, and block the person
If at any point the other person makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, do not interact with them anymore, and block them.
Further reading
Heres a couple of resources that do a much better job explaining internet safety than I did. I strongly recommend checking these out
In short, if you wouldn’t do something in person then don’t do it online. And make sure to be wary of who you talk to because they might not be who you think they are.
Thanks for listening to my TedTalk (:
