How to be Safe on Social Sites

Teach your child to:

Be as anonymous as possible
Use privacy settings
Think before they post
Avoid in-person meetings
Be honest about their age
Remember social networking sites are public spaces
Avoid posting anything that could embarrass them later or expose them to danger
Remember that people aren’t always who they say they are
Check comments regularly
Avoid inappropriate content and behavior, and, if encountered, report it to the social networking site

Parents should search social networking sites their teens visit to see what information they are posting. Make sure you are added to your teen’s “friend list” so you can view their information and verify that their profiles are set to private (as they should be!). If you’re uncertain whether your child has a profile, do a simple online search by typing your child’s name into a search engine like Google,or into the search option of the site in question.

How to Report Abuse on a Social Networking Site

Learn what constitutes abuse according to the Social Networking Site’s Terms and Conditions page. Click the ‘Report Abuse’ link and type a description of the abuse in the text field labeled ‘Message.’ Be sure to include a detailed description of the nature of the abuse you are reporting. Also, try to include the name or profile name of the person whom you are reporting, and submit it to the Social Networking Site.
If you feel you and/or someone you know are in danger, contact law enforcement immediately.
Do not respond to messages from the individual and be sure to keep copies of messages or correspondences from the individual.
Block the individual from contacting you and remove the individual from your “Friend List.”
Delete any comments the individual has left on your profile page.

"One of the most important questions to ask that teens really understand is: 'Are you willing to share this information in front of your school assembly? Have a discussion with them about what's appropriate and what's not. Look at their images and see if you think there's something that shouldn't be on the profile and then have them either remove it or let us know you're concerned and then we'll work with you."

— Hemanshu Nigam, Chief Security Officer, Fox Interactive Media and MySpace

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