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30th June is World Social Media Day, a good day to reflect on how safe we really are (and our kids are) when we share personal info on social media.
Social media has turned out to be one of the most influential media to connect, communicate, and explore. With Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram holding a strong grip on to the lives of millions across the globe, we are somewhat adversely addicted to the whole idea of swiping up.
A recent survey has shown that the number of female social media consumers are increasing on a fast phase. Apart from just connecting with families and friends or sharing pics birthday or travel pics, women are looking, more towards productivity and business.
But as we know, every coin has two sides. On the one hand, social media has played an essential role in inspiring and connecting the world into a single entity. On the other hand, social media carry the stigma of the manipulative, misleading source.
There was the news of 19-year-old committed suicide in UP after nude images of her got uploaded on Facebook. Another case from Tamil Nadu also ended up, losing a life to social stigma. Another example of cyber crime emerged where a teenage boy randomly started hacking accounts of some big shot profiles.
Teenagers are a hard-hit target when it comes to cyber bully and crime. Among the female users, homemakers and moms are more concerned about the negativity that could happen to their kids or others.
However, with some safety tips and being vigilant, we can face social media frauds and make sure our kids stay safe from cyber crime and bullies!
I have noticed that to gather more followers, likes, and shares users (particularly teens) tend to keep their profile ‘public’.
Be it Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter; it is imperative to set your account to private to prevent unnecessary intrusion into your private space. The users have a hold on their profile if they decide who should follow or check out their profile.
One of my friends boasted that she has 600 plus friends in her FB friend list. But when asked how many of them she had met or knew personally, the answer was just a stare!
Letting someone unknown in your friend-list is no less than allowing them into your home. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a ‘large number’ to show on a friend list. Be sure to check and cross check again before accepting a friend request or allowing someone to follow you as one may not figure out which is a fake profile.
It is a joy to watch our kids grow up, and we all want to share the beautiful journey with everyone, and thus we end up posting pictures of our kids playing, eating, going to school, on the way dance classes and the list goes on. But little do we know that we are unknowingly sharing some most essential details with antisocial elements out there keeping an eye on.
Ask your kids who have social media accounts not to give out valuable information like address (both home and school), financial status, date of birth, or phone number.
Parent do teach their kids how to stay safe, but hardly do any parents take the initiative in teaching how dangerous it is to be involved in crime.
Teach your boys never to hamper the dignity of a girl or women or engage in anti-social activities. The repercussions can be too hard to imagine. Also, teach your girls to stay strong when faced with an untoward situation. Tell them to inform you at the very first moment, and register a complaint with the cyber cell.
Author’s note: Today, June 30th, is World Social Media Day! Along with the positive side of using social media platform, it is equally essential to be aware of the darker side. Social media platform plays a crucial role in marketing, business promotion, writing platforms. With millions of users worldwide, it creates a potent tool to grab attention from all over the globe. When used right, there is no conventional tool-like a social platform to convey and explore!
Image source: shutterstock
Sheeba Vinay is a writer, Compiler by profession. She is criminologist and a writing therapist. Her write-ups have been published in Lokmat Times, TOI and various platforms like Women's Web, Momspresso, Storymirror, India read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
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