Social networking is all about connecting with the world at large with the use of internet. Today’s young generation is adeptly aware of how communication can not only build relationships but change the world. With the availability and allowance of the usage of smart phones at such a tender age, a new study has revealed that almost 90% of teens report online everyday. Also, gone are the days when Facebook was the sole favorite social networking site for all. There has been a handful number of introduction of interesting networking sites lately, like Whatsapp, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Hike, Tinder and many more that offer sharing of images, video calling, unlimited texting and added facilities.
The best part about social media is it allows children to stay connected with close ones, boost up their creativity, get influenced in benevolent acts like charity or social work and form opinions with the help of more interaction and debating. Yet the flipside of social media may offer quite a number of questionable repercussions like cyber-bullying, breach of privacy, stalking, etc.
Everything has its underside but just as the saying goes – you can’t stop going out just because accidents occur on roads – similarly you cannot ban yourself totally from using social networking sites. In such cases, what has to be done is consider the following tips and stick to them strictly.
Maintaining privacy on social networking sites
Not all your posts need to be public and showed off to everyone. It’s not a good idea to share delicate information publicly like your phone number, address, date of birth and pictures. Parents as well as schools must take the initiative of making children aware of how photographs can be morphed or videos could be misused for illegal activities. You might be very pretty or intelligent and have noticeable popularity on a social networking site. While you may have innumerable admirers, what must not be ignored is the fact that there are jealous people around you who are ready to label you as bad as possible. People with mischievous intentions do not think twice before taking advantage of some available private details of yours and commit a breach of privacy. All they intend to do is take revenge on you, peaking up to dangerous levels. Hence, it would be smart to handle all your profile settings with care.
Don’t share passwords
You can generally see how these networking sites advice on changing your password quite often. Well, this has a very legit reason and you must take the suggestion into consideration sincerely. Passwords are prone to getting hacked by a large number of expert-hackers out there and changing your password frequently could prevent you from such misnomers. Apart from that, sometimes we share our passwords with close ones like best friends or lovers due to many possible reasons. But without meaning to offend, the concept of password was introduced to protect ‘privacy’ and we must respect that. Even the best of people can misuse your privacy and turn your life up-side down.
Be strict with strangers
Teenagers must withhold themselves from being too available to people they don’t know. You meet a variety of people on networking websites. Generally, people on these sites portray an image of themselves that are easy to be impressed with and is capable of attracting you. To be honest, we all do that somehow. We do not show our ugly sides to the world in fear of being judged and ignored. The whole world runs after an illusion they web for themselves. However, it is best to avoid getting too close to someone you haven’t known in person because your age isn’t equipped with the required level of maturity to observe everybody’s intentions. Talk but share less about yourself, don’t be too easy, don’t say yes to video calls within your third day’s conversation and definitely do not ask for or share your number even if the other person is too interesting to resist. Because, a book cannot be judged by its cover.
Refrain from getting intimate online
Teenagers have an affinity to sexual experimentations because the phase of puberty is at its peak of curiosity. Some video calling sites have been developed in the recent century to enable connection with close ones. It is a wonderful platform where one gets to see a person, be it their loved ones or professional connections; this makes an interpersonal communication whole lot efficient. However, out of excitement or in order to experiment, teenagers are often seen being persuaded by their dating partners to strip online. While this is out-n-out a personal choice but teens must be taught about the negative aspects. Some people are experts in taking others into confidence and convince them in exposing their private parts online. This may be part of a huge sexual racket where they talk such things out with many teens or even an individual can misuse such opportunities for monetary or out of feelings like grudge or jealousy.
These are some of the most basic yet important tips that reflect a strong message – ‘Precaution is better than cure’. The motive is not to scare teenagers away or make them anti-social but it is time people start educating children about the importance of self-respect, integrity and a safe lifestyle.
