Safer Ways to Use Social Media
You have probably heard a lot about the dangers of social media. However, many younger people are becoming more relaxed about what they share online and who they share it with. Some of them are perhaps becoming too relaxed.
Social media can be a great tool to connect with other people, whether it’s friends or colleagues, but it can also cause problems if you connect with the wrong people. It’s important to be cautious when you’re using social media and avoid getting caught out by scams or anyone who might take advantage of you. You can stay safe on social media but you need to know-how.
Keep Your Information Safe
If you’re not careful, social media can lead to a lot of your personal information being shared with others. Firstly, social media companies will use your data for a variety of things, including selling it to other companies. You should take steps to protect your private data online, including checking your permissions on each of the apps that you use. What are you allowing them to do with your data? Think carefully about what you share in both the private part of your account and the publicly visible profile.
Safer ways to use social media: make your accounts private
Making your social media accounts private can help to protect you online. For most people, there isn’t really any need to have a public profile. You connect with your friends and family, and might perhaps do so with friends of friends or acquaintances. But you don’t really need to have your profile visible to strangers or people you barely know.
Being selective about who you connect with on social media might not get you a huge amount of followers, but it will help you to protect yourself and avoid sharing details that no one else really needs to know.
Be Careful Who You Talk to (And What You Tell Them)
It’s a good idea to think about how you associate with people offline to help guide you online. However, when you’re online, you might also want to use some extra caution. Asking yourself if you would talk to a random person who came up to you from nowhere and what you would be willing to share with them can help you to be more cautious online.
But even then, it’s important to keep in mind that someone you have known online for a while isn’t really the same as someone you know in real life. If you’ve never met them or spoken to them, you should be extra careful about what you share with them.
Practice General Online Security
There are lots of general online security practices that you should follow to help protect yourself online. For example, avoiding clicking on any links that you’re not sure are safe is always a good idea. Making sure that you have good antivirus software installed on your devices will help to protect you if you do accidentally download something that could cause damage. Knowing how to stay safe online will help to protect you on social media. When you’re using social media, be cautious about what you choose to share and who you speak to.
