Too many teenagers these days are far too casual with what type of information they put online. Little do they know that what they post on blogs, message boards, and on social networking sites could one day pose a big problem for them. If you are a parent of an Internet-savvy teen that you know likes to put their information out there for everyone on the World Wide Web to see, you may want to pass these teen Internet safety tips along to them.
Create a Safe and Anonymous Email Address
Creating an email address that gives absolutely no personal identifying information out about you is best. Never make up an email address with your full name in it, not even your first name. You don’t want anyone you do not know to be able to tell if you are a male or female by looking at your email address. Use a combination of letters and numbers to create the perfect anonymous email address.
Avoid Giving out Too Much Personal Information
Most social networking sites and forums require you to register with their site by providing basic, but personal information about yourself on their sign-up page. They may also ask you for information such as your name, birth-date, address, home phone number, and cell phone number. Tread carefully when giving these out. You just never know who has access to this information.
If you are asked to create a unique user name for any sites that you register for, keep your anonymity. Never use your real full name as your user name, and create one that is different from your email address. That way if you ever have an issue with anyone on the site or the site itself, you do not have to worry about anyone emailing you or tracking you down to harass you.
Your Private Profile Page May Not Be So Private
You may feel confident that you took certain precautions to keep your information private online by setting your profile pages to private, but the truth is, your private page can reveal more about you than you thought.
For example, along with a picture, most people put their name, city and state, and age on their profile. When a profile page is set to private, this information may still be visible to the public. If someone really wanted to find out more information about you, they can easily do an online search with your basic profile information and find out information such as where you go to school, where you live, where you hang out, who your friends are, and more.
If identity theft or cyber bullying is a threat you would like to stay away from, go by a nickname instead of your real name, use an avatar or a less identifiable picture, take out your city and state, do all that you can to keep your personal information out of the hands of the bad people.
Let Your Friends Know That You Value Your Privacy Online
When you do all that you can to protect your identity online, make sure you let others know that you take your privacy on the Internet very seriously. Ask them to refrain from posting identifying comments, pictures, or information about you anywhere online without your consent. There is no use for you taking all the safety precautions you can to protect your identity if others are not willing to help you protect it as well.
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