Typical social media sites, Source Flickr, Author Automotive Social
(CC BY 2.0 Generic)
The following safety tips were supplied by a child advocacy center all too familiar with child abuse in its many forms. Please, discuss them with the teens in your life.
Personal Safety
Never share your personal information with others online unless you already know them offline, and they have good reason for needing to know.
Before sharing the following information with ANYONE, always check with a trusted adult first: last name, address, phone number, date of birth, school name, social security number, passwords.
Social Media
Many social networking websites (e.g. Facebook/Meta, Twitter, and Instagram) have minimum age requirements for signing up. These requirements are there to protect you! Never accept a “friend request” from someone you do not already know offline. Again, never share personal information with others.
Online Friends
Remember that not everything you read online is true. Unfortunately, sometimes people pretend to be who they are not. Never meet anyone in person that you have only met on the internet. Rape and sex trafficking are real dangers. Predators can rarely be identified from their appearance.
Photos
Never post photos online that show you in a negative light. Always check with a trusted adult, if you are unsure whether the photos you plan to post are appropriate.
Intimate Relationships
Be mindful that everything you share with others has the potential to be distributed to unintended parties. Sexting and nude content have the potential to end up widely available on the internet.
If you are found with nude photos or videos of someone underage, you can be charged with child pornography, yourself.
Online Content
Be mindful of things you say online. Even if you delete content from a webpage, social media, blog, etc. it will remain somewhere on the internet forever. Employers may check your internet “footprint” in years to come, and find inappropriate content that could ruin your future plans.
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ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse 
This is very, very good advice and so necessary.
❤🙏🏾
I am glad you found it useful, Petrina. ❤
Good advice for some of the ‘trusted adults’ as well. Sometimes adults can be clueless on some of these hazards. Thus, people get scammed because they are ignorant.
❤️&🙏, c.a.
True, we must remain on our guard. Remember though before you pass judgment on those who may have been scammed that scammers act with deliberate intent to deceive and harm. They are without conscience, often using the lack of guile by their targets to rationalize their own actions.
Dear Anna, I’ve had quite a few discussions with my sons on this topic. The problem is that personal information shared even with the most trusted friend or relative could possibly be disclosed by said friend or relative who does not abide by Internet safety rules. I live in constant fear for my grandchildren.
You are so right, Dolly. Children are trusting by nature. Sadly, that trust is not always justified.
Very true, dear friend.
Du hast ein Thema behandelt, das enorm wichtig ist und sehr hilfreich für die Kinder, Jugendlichen, aber auch die Erwachsenen. Vielen Dank dafür. Ganz liebe Grüße, Marie
Danke für deine Ermutigung, Marie. Du bist eine liebe Freundin. ❤ ❤ ❤
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Excelentes consejos, Anna. Gracias. Saludos.
Gracias, Santiago.