Social Networking
Social networking sites are places on the Internet where you can meet new people, talk to friends, and take part in games and activities. You may also be able to write a “blog”, and read other members blogs. Most sites are for people aged 13 and over, and some are just for adults aged over 18. However, some sites are aimed at under 13s and these are the safest sites for young people to use.
Examples of social networking sites include:
www.facebook.com
www.myspace.com
www.bebo.com
How can I join one of these sites?
Watch this video to see how to set up a Social Networking account
Social networking sites are all about meeting new people and sharing information, photographs, videos, music, links etc. They provide a fantastic way to communicate with your friends, to meet new friends and to re-ignite lost friendships. However, there are some risks associated with Social Networking Sites that are important to deal with.
On some sites your information is available for everyone to view. This could be dangerous as people could use this information to contact you, they could steal your identity, or use it to bully you online. All social networking sites have options to make your information private, that means it can only be viewed by people you are friends with.
When you have logged onto your profile, click on the ‘privacy options’ button and see who has access to your information. You can modify this based on who you want to see your information, but be aware that it might be accessed by people you wouldn’t want to access it.
You should also be aware of who you are making friends with. It can seem exciting to have more friends than everyone else, but people who are your ‘friends’ on social networking sites can access all your private information, and you don’t know who they are. They could use this information to send you spam, or sell it to advertising companies. Or they could contact you offline. Be aware of this.
If you meet someone online who you would like to meet offline, you should consider how best to keep you safe. Ideally you should talk to an adult about this before hand. If you do meet them it is really important to take a trusted adult or friend with you, and meet them in a busy place. This is in case they turn out to be someone else.
Be aware that any photographs or videos that you upload to these sites can be downloaded and used by other people and be sent to lots of other people. We recommend you only upload photographs you would be happy with everyone seeing.
If you see or hear anything disturbing on a social networking site, or if someone makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, remember you can report it to the network provider by clicking the ‘report abuse’ button.
Checklist:
- Check the privacy settings of your profile and stay in control over who can see your information.
- Be careful not to put too much information on your profile as it could be used against you.
- Only add people as friends if you know them in real life.
- Take an adult/friend with you if you meet someone offline and always meet in a busy place.
- Report any abuse to the network provider.
