Swipe Right on Safety: How to Enjoy Social Media Without Any Stress
Roy Ghoshal (He/Him), a Youth Acton Academy Member and Events and Engagement Officer for SPW has written this blog to help young people stay safe online. There are tips and resources to help with online safety, cyberbullying, setting boundaries and identifying AI.
Introduction
Social media is a great place to express your creativity, have fun, stay in touch with loved ones, and learn about topics you care about. From fun online games to viral trends like the ice-bucket challenge on instagram, there’s always something new and exciting to discover on social media, and endless ways to have fun.
However, it's always important to make sure that you're safe and protected while having fun on social. This blog will give you some tips and tricks shared by our C4C members to help you have a fun and stress free experience on social media.
Your Info, Your Rules: Why Privacy Should Be Your Top Priority
The first, most important rule of staying safe on social media is to safeguard your privacy. Make sure that none of your personal details such as your - full name, home address, school address, or contact details are on any of the social media platforms you’re using. There are a lot of people online who may use your private data for the wrong reasons, so it’s always best to follow a few safeguarding practises such as:
Use a nickname instead of your real name to create a profile on a social media platform.
Do not accept follow or friend requests from strangers or anyone who seems suspicious.
Confirm the profile ID’s of your friends and family directly with them before accepting their requests.
Try not to participate in any social media challenges that may require you to post any of your private information online.
Block and report any profiles that seem to be fake or impersonating someone you know.
How to deal with online bullying, hate and hurtful posts
Social media is a place where everyone can freely express their feelings, sentiments and opinions, but sometimes you may come across certain posts and comments or posts that are hurtful especially to someone's race, background or identity. It's okay to feel upset or confused if you come across content that may affect you negatively. Sometimes some people try to scare others online, but it's important to know that you don't have to deal with them alone. You can take steps to protect yourself and have a good experience on social media such as
Report social media posts that affect you negatively and choose one of the following options while reporting a post: the “Bullying, Offensive Content, or “I Just Don't Like It. This helps the app understand the content is harmful and stops showing you similar posts in future.
If someone says something offensive or hurtful in the comments section of a public post you can report the comment as offensive and tag the posts admin to let them know that it upset you ask them to remove it.
In case someone is acting suspicious or scary online, you should reach out to your parents or a trusted parent/ guardian right away. It's also important to share what's happening so they can help you stay safe.
If you've experienced something that has upset you online you can always talk about it to a friend, family member or someone you trust. Sharing your feelings with them can help people who care about you offer comfort and support.
How to spot fake posts and stay safe online
You've probably seen posts that seem too good to be true like - “Ed Sheeran tickets for £5” or “Get a free iPhone - just click here!” There is no doubt that these posts are fake and are generally made to trick other people into giving away personal information or signing up for spam accounts. But recently, scammers have become a bit more crafty with their content and make more believable posts with the help of AI tools such as deepfakes or photoshop to edit clips of celebrities or famous individuals and add fake statements to them. Such posts may seem authentic but are generally fabricated. Here are some ways to identify fake content on social media -
Double check information using a trusted news source before taking action or believing in any information from social media.
Check for an AI tag in the post. Most apps including Instagram and TikTok have made using an AI tag compulsory with any social media posts that are created using AI tools.
Report posts that spread misleading information that is false and misguided.
Life's Not A Filter - You're Amazing in Real Life too!
Social media is full of people doing amazing stuff, and sometimes it's normal to feel a bit overwhelmed. But remember, everyone (including yourself) is special in their own way. Some posts may get a lot of likes or attention but that doesn't mean that you're any less special. If seeing certain posts make you feel a bit down or overwhelmed there are a few things you can do to make yourself feel better.
Here are some of them:
Words of affirmation: It's important to remind yourself from time to time that you're an amazing person with unique traits and talents that no one else has - there's only one you!
Follow Positive Pages: You can choose to follow a few pages that make you feel inspired or good about yourself.
Limit screen time - Take a break, play outside or do something else that you love. Sometimes life outside the screen can be just as fun (or even more fun) than what you see online.
So far, we've learned a few important ways to stay safe and feel good on social media, like how to protect privacy, deal with bullies or fake content, and handle feeling overwhelmed online. We have our wonderful Champions for Change to thank for these amazing tips and tricks on how to keep your space safe, stay positive and have fun!
Further Resources
Cyber Bullying: https://www.supportline.org.uk/problems/cyber-bulling/
Social media guide: https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/social-media-guides