Staying Safe Online

In March 2024 YOL! met to discuss their concerns with social media and tips for being safe. Below are some of what was spoken about with links to other sites for more information. 

What are YOL!s concerns with social media?

One of the big concerns is that social media is still very new and something most parents/guardians do not understand. Which creates a problem when you look to them for advice and support.

There is pressure on young people from other young people to stay in contact with them, reply quickly, keep ‘streaks’ going, ensure you post on ‘BeReal’ in time and other stresses in what is the regularly changing world of social media.   

Another problem is how what is posted by others can affect people’s behaviour and feelings. There can be issues around cyber-bullying with deliberate negative comments and actions that are meant to upset someone.  Someone with low self-esteem can see lots of pictures of a ‘perfect body’ and other things which shows others ‘doing well’ and make them feel worse about themselves. Other issues with this included what influencers say and do. There have been physical fights over trying to get celebrity endorsed products and an increase in negative behaviour based on the views shared by influencers.

With more young people being online it can mean for those young people that are struggling in ‘real life’ do not get a break. People can continue to make life difficult online as well as in person and this is, again, something most parents have not had to experience and if they did it was most likely not while growing up. 

You can be enjoying whatever you are doing or focusing on what you need to do such as homework and your phone pings or you need to quickly google something and suddenly you are back on your phone and it is hard to drag yourself away again.

Fake news is now quite easy to create if you know what you are doing. Photoshop and coding make this really quick to do as well and things can look quite convincing.

YOL! also spoke about the embarrassment faced from parents posting about them online, including pictures they posted when they were much younger which stay online and friends are able to go and see them.  

Tips for Staying Safe

What you post

• Remember everyone can see it. Once you have posted something it is out there and cannot be taken back
• Do not share personal information. Full name, address, where you go to school, when you will be at youth groups etc etc.
• Think how it will make someone else feel. Is it a kind thing to say?

Looking after your health

• Be careful with screen time. It is easy to spend hours on social media scrolling without realising. Or a mix of telly, social media, internet, gaming can lead to lots of screen time and not a lot of physical activity.
• Do not compare yourself to others, especially influencers.
• Do not be on your phone before going to bed. Can take a while to relax before getting to sleep.
• Set boundaries with friends. It can feel overwhelming to have to reply and young people can put pressure on each other to keep replying. Make sure you get time away from your screen and get good sleep.
• Do not share your live location, especially if away on holiday.
• ‘be in the moment’ you do not need to be online, reply or post all the time. Engage in the thing you are supposed to be doing.

Staying Safe

• Keep accounts private. If you want to have a public account get support with this so you stay safe.
• Only accept friends you know. There are signs to make sure they are who they say such as mutual friends and some people have accepted social media friends while face to face so you know it’s them. 
• Be careful with what you watch. Not everything is as it seems. Some things are meant to upset you and encourage dangerous behaviour. Report this content and speak to someone you are comfortable talking to. 
• If someone you care for posts something you are worried about, reach out to them on their phone if you have it.
• If someone starts to be mean. Report them straight away, speak to an adult and report the behaviour on the social media platform
• Don’t feel you have to be on social media. Join social media because you want to not because you are trying to fit in. 
• Always remember you can report or block someone.