E-Safety Tips
Top Ten E-Safety Tips from the Office of The Children's Commissioner
1.It’s private... Make sure your page is private. You can do this in your Facebook privacy settings. Click in the lock icon in the top right hand corner of your page, and then click on the ‘Privacy’ tab to change your settings. You can also change the privacy settings for posts that appear on your timeline or posts you are tagged in, such as photos and statuses, under ‘Timeline and Tagging’. If you’re not sure how to do this, ask someone you trust to help you.
2. About me. Never tell anyone anything personal about you, your friends or your family. Never post or send photographs or videos of yourself naked or topless. You cannot control who has access to that photo and how it is shared. Before you post anything stop and ask yourself, am I sure that I have permission to post this and that it won’t upset anyone if I do?
3. SSHH... Keep your password private.
4. Making friends. Don’t add anyone you don’t know as a friend. If someone keeps asking to be your friend and you don’t like it or they make you feel uncomfortable in any way, you can block them. This means they will not be able to ask to be your friend again. If you’re not sure about a friend request, ask someone you trust for help, such as your parents, a teacher or guardian.
5. Telling the truth. Remember not everyone tells the truth online, so only speak with people you know and trust on Facebook. Don’t accept the friend request of someone you don’t know. If you want to unfriend someone, go to their page, hover over the ‘Friends’ button at the top and click ‘Unfriend’.
6. Telling someone. If someone contacts you and you don’t like what they have done or said, do not reply or engage with their messages. Save what they have said and tell someone you trust, such as your parents, a teacher, or guardian. This also applies to cyber-bullying or any form of harassment.
7. Meeting up. Never arrange to meet someone you have met online and not met in person before. If someone asks you to meet with them, don’t go and tell someone you trust, such as your parents, a teacher or guardian.
8. Get ‘appy. Add the CEOP app so you can report anything that happens which you think is inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable. You can add the Click CEOP app to your Facebook page here.
9. It’s forever. Remember once you post something, it could be up there forever. Even if you delete it, someone could copy it or save it so you cannot be sure it is gone. If you’re not sure about whether you should post something, stop and ask yourself the following: would you be happy if any of your friends saw it? Would you be happy if your parent, guardian or carer saw it? Would you be happy if your teacher or future boss saw it? If the answer to any of these is ‘no’, then don’t post it, or ask someone you trust for help if you’re not sure.
10.Help me. Always ask for help. If you’re not sure about anything online, ask someone you trust for help. This might be a friend, family member, teacher, or guardian. You can add the Click CEOPP app to your Facebook page here for more advice.
