I Need To Know About Online Friends

This post is presented by the Office of the Children's eSafety Commissioner.

Chat and social networking are great ways to stay in touch and find new friends. However, there are some risks meeting people online—especially if you don’t know them in real life. When you share things online you may be sharing with other people you do not know or trust. Once a message, photo or video has been shared, you also won't be able to control where it goes.

What do I need to know about safe social networking?

Limit your friend list: don’t 'friend' random people.

Protect your privacy: don’t share your password and set your profile to private.

Your personal details are valuable: don’t share them.

Protect your reputation: keep it clean and ask yourself, would you want others to see what you upload?

Be careful who you trust: a person can pretend to be someone they are not.

Don't use a webcam with people you do not know.

Think before you post, chat, upload or download.

How do I control my privacy settings?

All social networking sites have their own version of ‘default’ privacy and security settings. It is important that you know how the site works and how to change the settings to protect your personal information.

What are the risks of social networking?

The risks in using social networking sites include:

Anonymity — it can be easier to say and do things online that you might not do offline.

Sharing too much information — for example, photos from a party might be okay for close friends to see but can become an issue if shared more widely.

Not protecting your personal information — account details and location information can be used inappropriately by others to find you or access your online accounts. It is important that you understand the risks associated with disclosing information about yourself online and know how to manage both your privacy and online friends.

Treating online friends as real friends — it's easy for people to lie online, including those who are seeking children and young people for more than a social relationship. Make sure you are careful about how well you really know your online ‘friends’.

What are location-based services?

Many social networking sites take advantage of location-based services, which enable users to report their physical location to others via their mobile phone. By using this function, users can physically locate friends and others from social networking sites. Individuals can ‘check-in’ from a location to let others know their whereabouts.

On some social networking services the location-based functions are turned on by default. To manage these services, and retain your privacy, review your social networking settings to block the function or to limit who sees your location-based information.

Cyberbullying and how to make a complaint.

If you know that cyberbullying is happening there are several ways that you can seek assistance in removing the cyberbullying material.

1. Block the person and talk to someone you trust. A complaint can lead to a formal investigation and so it's worth trying to resolving the issue before making a complaint.

We recommend the following possible actions:

Talk to a trusted adult, parent or teacher first about the cyberbullying.

Block or unfriend the person upsetting you.

If you don't feel comfortable talking with your parents or teachers, you can contact Kids Helpline.

2. Contact the social media service where the cyberbullying is taking place. Under new legislation, social media services are obliged to take down material believed to be cyberbullying. Most social media services will have a reporting area on their website.

3. Report cyberbullying to the Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner.

If you or anyone you know needs help, support is available right now. Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.

For more information on counselling and treatment plans you can contact your school’s health services as well as the following organisations:

Beyond Blue

Headspace

Photo: iStock.