This document discusses online safety tips for teens regarding social media and internet usage. It provides statistics on teen internet use and risks like online solicitation. Dangers discussed include sharing too much private information, exposure to inappropriate content, and interactions with online predators. The document recommends using privacy settings, being wary of strangers, keeping personal information private, and reporting any suspicious behavior or threats to a trusted adult.
2. Contents
• Statistics
• Social Networking
• Dangers of the Internet
• Tips for Online Safety
• Reporting Online Predators
3. Teen Online Statistics
• 95% of parents don’t recognize the lingo
kids use to let people know that their
parents are watching.
• 76% of parents don’t have rules about
what their kids can do on the computer.
• 20% of children age 10-17 have been
solicited sexually online.
• 75% of youth who received an online
sexual solicitation did not tell a parent.
4. Teen Online Statistics (cont.)
• 89% of sexual solicitations are made in
either chat rooms or Instant Messages.
• 15,000,000 youth use Instant Messaging
• 73% of teens (12-17) have profiles on
social networking sites.
• 45% have been asked for personal
information by someone they don’t know.
• 30% have considered meeting someone
they they’ve talked to online.
5. Teen Online Statistics (cont.)
• 44% of parents were not aware of whether
their children use privacy settings in their
social media profiles to keep strangers
out.
• MySpace deletes 25,000 profiles weekly of
users who don’t meet the site’s 14-year
old minimum age requirement.
• From 2007-2009 MySpace has deleted
90,000 accounts because they were
created by registered sex offenders.
6. Social Networking
• Web-based services that allow individuals
to:
– Construct a public or semi-public profile within
a bounded system.
– Articulate a list of other users with whom they
share a connection.
– Share information, photos, ideas, songs,
videos, etc…
– Access from a mobile device
7. Social Networking (cont.)
• Most used social networking sites by teens
are Facebook and MySpace.
• Increasingly being used by school
administrators and law enforcement
agencies as a source of evidence against
users.
• The average Facebook user has 245
friends.
8. Dangers of the Internet
• Online Predators
• People are not who they say they are
• Posting TMI (too much information)
• Exposure to inappropriate content
• Privacy violations
• Cyberbullying
9. Tips for Online Safety
• Don’t believe everything you see online.
• Bee leery of those who want to know too
much.
• Keep your information to yourself.
• Make sure your screen name doesn’t say
too much about you.
• Post only information that you are
comfortable with others seeing.
10. Tips for Online Safety
• Remember that once you post information
online, you can’t take it back.
• Consider not posting your photo.
• Flirting with strangers online could have
serious consequences.
• Be wary if a friend wants to meet you in
person.
• Trust your gut if you have suspicions.
11. Tips for Online Safety
• Use privacy setting and sharing controls.
• Keep your primary email address private.
• Be very careful when someone offers you
something for nothing, such as gifts or
money.
• Share online safety tips with others.
12. Reporting Online Predators
• If you or someone is in immediate danger
call 911
• Tell your parents or a trusted adult.
• Report the Internet Predator to your local
law enforcement agency.
• Report the Internet Predator to the
website(s) where he/she conversed and/or
attempted contact with you.
• www.cybertipline.com