Social Media Tips

1. Find out w​hat they like? Snapchat, TikTok or Instagram.

Ask your kid what they like about their social media. Ask to see their profile. If your child is reluctant to show you-Millions of kids think of social media as a 'parent-free zone, which is what you plan to change. 

We like to see real names, real profile pics and closed accounts, no public followers.

We Don't like

• Fake proxy accounts
• Just a bush to hide behind and lob grenades at others
• Fake Snapchat account open to everyone to follow

Snapchat - A bush to hide behind for bullys

Prefer to listen? Podcasts

2. Don’t be too critical

Don't be too critical of their online experience or habits to date. It’s not always their fault if there is something inappropriate on their profile.

When kids make mistakes, it's a chance to improve behaviour into the future. 

School Talks Pages 

3. Please tell Mum!

Sometimes a teenager won’t tell a parent about a bad experience they have had online for fear of being disconnected. However, if they feel they can talk about their online habits with you, without judgement, or the threat of being disconnected, it will lead to more honesty in the long run. 
 

4. Privacy Settings

Check with your kid to see what privacy settings they have set up on their profiles. We want them to move to 'Private' or 'My Friends Only; in Snapchat. So that only friends can see what they post, not everyone on the portal.

Persuading a kid of 10 years of age or older will not be easy, but it's worth the effort. Kids know this is only common sense. As Mark Twain said, the trouble with common sense is not so common. Even with the tightest privacy controls, content posted online will be shared with others without their consent. 

Make TikTok private

5. Safety not Popularity

Safety not Popularity is what we want. It is a good idea too to talk about your child’s friends list. ‘Friends’ is the catch-all term for any contacts on social networking sites. Teenagers should review their list of online ‘friends’ regularly, so they are sharing their information with people they trust. Teenagers prefer popularity to safety. However, the evidence is overwhelming. Teenagers don't believe this to be true.

Instagram boss Adam Mosseri wants Instagram to be the happiness social media portal where friends can stay safe. Instagram deliberately started thwarting 'likes' from being displayed on posts to stop people like hunting and encourage them to post more genuinely. Instagram researched their user analytics discovered that people who do not know you are five times more likely to bully you.

Facebook Mark Zuckerberg. If your daughter has 1000s of followers, she'll be bullied.
Molly Russell, Instagram, Tragic death of a 14 year old girl

6. Make sure your kids don't respond to strangers' messages.

Do NOT reply to any unwanted or unsolicited messages. Some scam artists or predators use messages to draw responses from young people and then target them. Make sure your child knows how important it is to ignore them. Drum this into your kids, so it is second nature. Five things not to share with anyone.

Stranger Danger| 9-Year-old cleverly tricked into meeting someone 

Facebook have done the analytics

Facebook, who makes nearly $50 from each active user of their portals in Europe, has concluded that if your kid has 1000s of followers, they'll be bullied.

Holly Russell, Instagram, Tragic death of a 14-year-old girl​

• Reduce Followers on your child's account
• Seeks Friends not Followers
• Move to a private profile, not public (My Friends Only)
• Teach children to reject friend requests, kids hate refusing.
• Use your real name and picture, like muzzling a dog.
• Don't like, know the person requesting to join, delete.

Handy Connections
 

Five things Kids must never share online ever!

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook. If your daughter has 1000s of followers, she'll be bullied. 

Holly Russell, Instagram, Tragic death of a 14 year old girl

 

Crisis phone numbers UK

Childline  –  0800 1111

Samaritans – 116 123

Papyrus (Suicide Prevention Helpline) – 0800 068 4141 Text 07786209697

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