Children are the most active users of the Internet. There are many positives, but there are also many negatives. First and foremost, parents should keep an eye on what children are doing on the Internet and what social networks they register on. But as we all understand, children spend most of their time at school. So the question arises whether teachers at school should teach children how to safely use social networks, such as Twitter. Most people think it is necessary. At the same time, many people think it’s silly because kids spend too much time on the Internet. So if they are taught at school to use social media, children will spend even more time on the Internet. Many parents forbid their children to register on social networks, and control them completely. Psychologists argue that children should be given the freedom to act, they should not be forbidden everything. A child should grow up independent and able to take responsibility for their actions. Perhaps this is right, but it can be dangerous for the psychological and physical condition of the child. So let’s look at how to teach your child how to use social media safely.
Social networking sites are more popular than ever, and they have changed the way we use the Internet. Some of the most popular sites are Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. These sites allow people to keep in touch with their friends, share links, plan events, and more.
For many teens and even young children, online social networking is an important part of their lives because it allows them to connect with their friends no matter where they are. Social networking is not a bad idea, but there are some risks here that your children should be aware of.
Age restrictions on social networking sites
Many social networking sites have age requirements for creating an account. For example, Twitter does not allow users under the age of 13 to sign up. However, many children lie about their age to sign up, and some parents allow or even help them do so.
Keep in mind that these age restrictions exist to protect your child’s privacy. If your child uses social networking sites, make sure you know the minimum age requirements for each site.
Social media is addictive to students and they forget about time. Often, instead of doing their homework, they spend all evening on Twitter or Facebook. This can cause problems with their studies. So students wonder who could write my research paper for me cheap to avoid academic failure.. Fortunately, writing services provide their services not expensive and at the same time very high quality and fast. Such sites have no age restrictions. This is a great way to improve your academic situation.
Teaching children how to use social media safely
Social media allows a lot of content to be shared, including photos, videos, links, and personal information. Many kids and teens enjoy sharing these files with their friends, but they may be sharing with many more people than they realize. For example, the TRUST study found that 68 percent of teens accepted a friend request from strangers, and 8 percent accepted every request they received. This means that their “friends” may not be people you can trust. When you talk to your kids about social media, you can give them the following tips to help them stay safe.
Keep your posts private
On most social media sites, you can choose to only share information with your friends. It’s important to use this setting whenever possible to make it harder for strangers to access your information.
Check your privacy settings often. Sometimes Facebook reorganizes your privacy and account settings, which can make your information available to more people than you want it to be. While on Facebook or any other social networking site you should review your privacy settings to make sure they are set up exactly the way you want.
Be careful about what you post. Even if you keep your posts private, it doesn’t guarantee that other people can’t see them. For example, if you share a photo with your friends, they can easily save it on their computers and publish it on another website. You shouldn’t post anything online unless you’re sure you won’t be embarrassed if the whole world sees it.
Don’t add strangers to your friend’s list. While it may be tempting to have thousands of “friends” online, it increases the chances that your photos and personal information will be shared with the world.
Keep in mind that all of your online postings may stay there for years. Even if something doesn’t seem inappropriate, it can damage your reputation years later when you start looking for a job or applying to college. Employers and colleges often check social media sites for candidate information, so a photo or other post can diminish their impression of you.
Use good networking etiquette. Netiquette is a set of guidelines for communicating online. Using good networking etiquette helps ensure that everything you say is understood without error. For more information, check out our lesson on “The Basics of Social Media Privacy” from our Internet Safety training course.
Setting up a social networking profile
Although sites like Twitter give you some control over the content you post, some of your profile information is usually visible to all users. If your children are setting up online profiles, they should take precautions to make sure their profiles don’t reveal too much information. It’s important to keep track of what posts kids make and what essay topics in they discuss online.
We’ll go into more detail about creating a safe social networking profile
Username: everyone should be careful about how they set up their profile on a social networking site, as this information can be viewed by the general public.
Profile image: many sites allow you to choose a profile image. This can be a photo or avatar. On Twitter, most people use their photos. However, on more public sites, such as discussion boards, you can use an avatar because it allows you to remain more anonymous. Keep in mind that a lot of people will be able to see your profile. Therefore, it is important to choose an image that will not reflect negatively on you. A photo might get you in trouble at school or damage your reputation.
Profile Information: you need to be careful about what personal information you reveal. If you have the option of making your information available only to you and your friends, you should choose that option. Never post your birthday or home address on sites.
Contact information: You don’t need to post any contact information other than your email address unless you’re networking or promoting yourself professionally. Don’t include home phone numbers or addresses. If you do have to include a phone number, then use a cell phone number. It’s also a good idea to create a separate social media email address to protect your regular account from being cluttered with spam and phishing emails.
