Social Media

Social Media Day June 30, 2023

Download the June Infosheet in PDF

Going into the summer break, protect yourself and your information online
Summer is here and staying in touch with friends and family is easy using social media. it’s important to be proactive and protect yourself from the harms of social media. Social media can be used in a safe way by following some simple tips.

Tips to using social media safely

  1. Ensure anything you post is private and can only been seen by your direct connections.
  2. Review your privacy settings frequently – especially after an application update.
  3. Think before you share online. Keep the following information private:
    1. Personal information – Don’t share your phone number, address, or full date of birth.
    2. Location – Verify you’re not sharing your location and remove geotags from older photos.
    3. Life news – Post your vacation and events photos when you get back home.
    4. Financial information – Don’t post any bank or purchase information online.
    5. Other people’s life updates – Be careful with what you share about your friends and family. Always ask permission.

Overcoming FOMO and FOBO

Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) is the anxious feeling of not knowing what your friends have been up to and the feeling you’re not there to have fun with them.
Fear Of Being Offline (FOBO) is the anxious feeling of being disconnected with the online world.

To overcome this:

  • Focus on meaningful and positive friendships, face-to-face interactions and actual experiences outside of social media – like going for a hike, riding a bike or going to the movie theatre.
  • Know that your self-worth is not based on the number of likes you get online. Just because others get more likes does not mean they are more interesting than you.
  • Remember photos and videos are only only a small segment of someone else’s life and are often highly edited.
  • Follow people who inspire you, encourage positivity and happiness or those you could learn from! Learn to filter content that does not help your overall well-being.
  • If you feel uneasy, talk to a parent, friend or trusted adult.

Resources:

Are your online friends who they say they are?
How to spot a cyber threat on social media
Guess What!?! quiz – Test your online (and offline) safety knowledge