Week 4 - Our Continuously Connected Lives: What's Your 'App'-titude?

SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS FOR STUDENTS

DID YOU KNOW?

• 95 percent of teens use the Internet.¹
• 77 percent of teens use Facebook.²
• 53 percent of teens use Instagram.³
• 24 percent of teens use Twitter.⁴
• 10 percent of teens use Tumblr.⁵
• The average teen has approximately 300 friends on Facebook and 79 followers on Twitter.⁶
• Among Twitter users aged 12 to 17, 64 percent made their tweets public.
• 19 percent of teen users have posted things they regret, including photos, videos, status updates, tweets, or comments.⁷
• Only 18 percent of young adults claim they are comfortable with what their friends post about them online, and 32 percent say that the information about them online is what they choose for the public to see.⁸

BEWARE OF WHAT YOU POST ONLINE

• Sharing sensitive information. Sensitive information includes anything that can help a person steal your identity or find you, such as your full name, Social Security number, address, birthdate, phone number, or where you were born.
• Posting questionable content. Remember future employers may look at your social media accounts before hiring you. Questionable content can include pictures, videos, or opinions that may you seem unprofessional or mean and can damage your reputation or future prospects.
• Tracking your location. Many social media platforms allow you to check in and broadcast your location, or automatically adds your location to photos and posts.

SIMPLE TIPS

1. Remember, there is no ‘Delete’ button on the Internet. Think before you post, because even if you delete a post or picture from your profile only seconds after posting it, chances are someone still saw it.

2. Don’t broadcast your location. Location or geo-tagging features on social networks is not the safest feature to activate. You could be telling a stalker exactly where to find you or telling a thief that you are not home.

3. Connect only with people you trust. While some social networks might seem safer for connecting because of the limited personal information shared through them, keep your connections to people you know and trust.

4. Keep certain things private from everyone. Certain information should be kept completely off your social networks to begin with. While it’s fun to have everyone wish you a happy birthday, or for long-lost friends to reconnect with you online, listing your date of birth with your full name and address gives potential identity thieves pertinent information. Other things to keep private includes sensitive pictures or information about friends and family. Just because you think something is amusing does not mean you should share it with the world.

5. Speak up if you’re uncomfortable. If a friend posts something about you that makes you uncomfortable or you think is inappropriate, let him or her know. Likewise, stay open-minded if a friend approaches you because something you’ve posted makes him or her uncomfortable. People have different tolerances for how much the world knows about them, and it is important to respect those differences. Also report any instances of cyber bullying you see.

RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU

SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS FOR PARENTS

• 95 percent of teens use the Internet.¹
• 77 percent of teens use Facebook.²
• 53 percent of teens use Instagram.³
• 24 percent of teens use Twitter.⁴
• 10 percent of teens use Tumblr.⁵
• The average teen has approximately 300 friends on Facebook and 79 followers on Twitter.⁶
• Among Twitter users aged 12 to 17, 64 percent made their tweets public.
• 19 percent of teen users have posted things they regret, including photos, videos, status updates, tweets, or comments.⁷
• Only 18 percent of young adults claim they are comfortable with what their friends post about them online, and 32 percent say that the information about them online is what they choose for the public to see.⁸

BE AWARE OF WHAT YOUR KIDS POST ONLINE

1. What they are posting: Talk to your kids about the information they post online. Many of them don’t understand the damage they could do to their reputation or future prospects with unkind or angry posts, and compromising photos or videos. Ensure your kids are not sharing or posting:

• Sensitive information: Sensitive information includes anything that can help a person steal your child’s identity or find them, such as their/your full name, Social Security number, address, birthdate, phone number, or place of birth.
• Compromising content: This includes photos or status updates that may damage your child’s reputation or future prospects.
• Unkind or angry content: This includes anything malicious directed at themselves or another person, as well as opinions that are probably better left unshared.

2. Who they are connecting with: Social media allows kids to connect with their friends, but there is also a risk of connecting with someone they do not know or who is only pretending to be a kid.
3. What level of privacy they are using: Many social media platforms have privacy settings that allow users to limit who sees their content. There are also settings for location tracking and geo-tagging of photos or statuses.

SIMPLE TIPS FOR PARENTS

1. Talk to your children. Help your children understand the importance of owning their digital lives and only sharing things that will not put them in danger, negatively affect their future, or harm others
2. Emphasize the concept of credibility to teens: not everything they see on the Internet is true and people on the Internet may not be who they appear to be.
3. Watch for changes in behavior. If your child suddenly avoids the computer, it may be a sign they are being bullied or stalked online.
4. Review security settings and privacy policies for the social media sites kids frequent. These settings are frequently updated so check back regularly.

RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU