An Actual Guide to Internet Safety
I've been thinking about this topic lately and realized that the advice most adults give children about internet safety is utter garbage. So, from one young person to another (I'm assuming) - here are some tips on actual internet safety.
Only give out certain pieces of information. Never give out your address, personal phone number, or personal email. Those are things that could easily be used to track you and your location by those who mean you harm.
You can give out your name - first or preferred ONLY. No last.
You can also give out your age in certain situations. If you are a preteen or younger, never give out your age. If you are a teenager - especially a younger teenager - give out your age with caution. Make sure you trust the person to whom it is given, or that the site on which you are publicly sharing it is a safe and friendly place. If you are a young adult or older, you don't have much to worry about.
You can give out your gender no matter what if you are a cisgender male; it's one of the advantages of being you...but I digress. If you are a cisgender girl, you should probably be a little more careful. Avoid sharing your gender if you are on a predominantly male website, such as on a video game forum. These are places where females can get harassed and bothered just for their gender. If you are transgender, nonbinary, intersex, or genderfluid, be very careful about sharing that particular piece of information. Certain sites, such as the blogging site Tumblr, have complete profiles and site sections devoted to supporting you and others like you, but on websites more focused on a different topic, such as Wattpad, only share this information with your closest online friends.
You can give out your sexuality if you're straight - you'll be assumed straight on most websites, anyway. If you're anything else, however, take the same precautions as non-cisgender people.
Never click on a link. I don't care if it's a link from your closest online friend, someone who you know a lot about and who you're 99% sure are who they say they are. DO. NOT. CLICK. IT. Your friend may not even mean to harm you, but your computer or phone could become virused. Presume all links are unsafe unless sent to you by someone you know in real life over text message. Otherwise, avoid it.
Don't feel guilty for not replying to someone who reaches out to you. Sometimes, someone tries to initiate a conversation, but you get very strange vibes from them. Maybe it's in the way they typed, or something in their profile is disconcerting. Either way, it is not your responsibility to be kind to everyone on the internet. If they seem nice, great! Go for it! But if not, just ignore them, or block them if they continue to bother you.
Don't feel guilty for blocking someone. Your safety and comfort online comes before other faceless users. If you don't like someone, you have the option to cleanly remove them from your life, one that you can relish since you'll never have it in real life :)
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So, to recap:
Only give out certain pieces of information.
Never click on a link.
Don't feel guilty for not replying to someone who reaches out to you.
Don't feel guilty for blocking someone.
I'm sure there are some tips that I'm forgetting, so feel free to send them to me, either through the box below or through one of my Wattpad accounts.
Remember, stay safe online, and above all, have a good time! :)
