𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝔾𝕚𝕣𝕝𝕤 ℂ𝕝𝕦𝕓 ☁︎☀

Internet Safety ~ Silz

Hello ladies, and gents if you're out there! I'm here to talk to you about something extremely important today: internet safety. But let me give you a bit of background on me first.

Online I go by Silz ( Silmarilz1701), and I'm in my early/mid twenties. I've been in online circles of friends on various sites since I was 12. Since becoming a full fledged adult, I've been able to meet with several of those people I befriended. BUT that was only made possible by the very important safety steps I've taken throughout my life online. So I'm here to be a guide, at Kayla's request.

First and foremost: 

Never, ever give your personal information out publicly. Last names are a lot more specific than first names, and present online predators with easy ways to locate you. Giving out your full name is almost as bad as giving out your address, which should be common sense to avoid. Putting out something like your name, address, or a link to identifying social media is extremely dangerous.

This is especially important for younger people. There are lots of online predators, and it is your responsibility to protect yourself.

However, let's say you really love talking to someone you met on Wattpad. What are some ways to safely increase your friendship?

1 .Get a parent's permission FIRST.

2. Find a way to voice chat or video chat with them. A good way to do this is Discord, because it's still anonymous. Now why am I suggesting this? The only way to confirm someone is who they claim to be is to see them face to face. Video or voice chat can help you confirm that the 16 year old female you've been talking to online IS actually a 16 year old female offline too.

3. Once you've gotten your parent's permission, and they've gotten their parent's permission, Instagram is a good next step. Instagram is more personal than Wattpad, but doesn't have the same sort of identifying information that Facebook does (age, work, birthday, etc).

4. Once you are sure the person behind the screen is who they say they are, and you've got permission to do so, Facebook is the last step. 

All of these steps need to be made carefully. In order to further protect yourself online, here are other good rules to follow:

Be extremely careful posting photos of yourself on public social media. I can hear you complaining to me right now:

"But Julianne, you've posted your first name AND your own photo on Wattpad!"

Yes, I have. At this point in my life I am using Wattpad as a way to build a reader base for when I get published. Therefore, Wattpad is like a business venture for me. I'm also very much an adult, and I've been careful through my younger years not to expose myself.

Also, I do not use my photo for my profile picture. To find my photo on Wattpad, a user would need to do a long search. It also does not have an association with my name.

A good rule of thumb for social media is this:

Is the account going to be used to interact with people I don't know? If yes, all personal information that could identify you must be kept off for your safety. 

Is the account going to be used to interact with people using my real persona? If yes, keep the account private and only accept friend requests from people you know.

For Minors:

Do not meet up with ANYONE from online without a trusted adult present. This is a potentially dangerous situation you are putting yourself in, and you should never ever go alone or without permission.

For Adults: 

Be smart. Don't put yourself in a potentially dangerous and/or incriminating situation by meeting up with minors, especially unaccompanied ones. Make sure you reach out to the Minor's parents and speak to THEM first and personally. In schools, adults most always be in pairs around children and bathrooms: this is as much to protect the adult from incriminating accusations as it is to protect the child from the adult. Follow the same rule. Be smart.

For EVERYONE:

If you've followed all steps and have proper permissions and have taken steps to verify one another, the most important rule is to meet in a public place. A Starbucks, other cafe, or a restaurant is a good choice. This is so that if something does go wrong, there are other people around to witness and help. 

Overall the most important thing is to verify that the user your speaking to is who he or she says they are. And for Minors, keeping your parent or guardian in the know is absolutely NECESSARY. You need to protect yourself online. I hope this is some help for you.