Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other social networks have become integral parts of our online lives. Social media is a great way to stay connected, but you should be wary about how much personal information you post.
Have your family follow these tips to safely enjoy social networking:
- Privacy and security settings exist for a reason. Learn about and use the privacy and security settings on social networks. They’re there to help you control who sees what you post, and to manage your online experience in a positive way.
- Once posted, always posted. What you post online stays online – forever. Think twice before posting pictures you wouldn’t want your parents or future employers to see. Over 70% of job recruiters have rejected candidates based on information they found online.
- Keep personal info personal. Be cautious about how much personal information you provide on social networking sites. The more information you post, the easier it is for a hacker to steal your identity, access your data, or commit other crimes such as stalking.
- Know and manage your friends. We get it: part of the fun in social media is creating a large pool of friends from many aspects of your life. But that doesn’t mean all friends are created equal. Use tools to manage the information you share with friends in different groups, or even have multiple online pages.
- Know what action to take. If someone is harassing or threatening you, remove them from your friends list, block them, and report them to the site administrator.
- Keep a clean machine. Having the latest security software, web browser, and operating system are the best defenses against viruses, malware, and other online threats – and these days, social media sites are where many of those threats lurk.