reducing risk to children and young peopl

Managing personal images and video postings The use and sharing of images and videos has proliferated online, especially on social networking and video-sharing sites. Images and videos can be loaded from cameras and mobile phones. Some mobile devices enable users to upload images and videos directly to social networking sites. It is very important that children and young people consider and choose carefully what they share online with friends and the wider community on the Internet, especially as photos can be easily copied and changed. The convenience of mobile phones means it is easy to upload images and videos ‘on the go’.
Particular care should be taken to ‘think before you post’ to avoid compromising privacy or safety, for example images from a party or of outrageous or compromising behaviour. If a child is posting photos containing their friends, for example, they should seek their friends’ permission first. Photos and videos can contain information that on its own may seem innocuous, but when put together with other information such as school details can be used to locate and identify the child.
Many, if not all, of the popular social networking sites provide privacy tools to ensure that users can manage whom they choose to interact with and who can post the comments on their blogs or personal sites. It is important that children and young people think carefully about adding someone they have only met online to their ‘friends list’ even if another friend has recommended them – people are not always who they claim to be. Talk to your child about the importance of keeping the password to their account or space private to protect against someone taking control of it. Mobile phones can be easily lost or stolen. It is a good idea to set up a PIN lock on your child’s mobile, so it cannot be used without their permission or if it is lost or stolen. Your child should only use auto login (where the site remembers your password for you when you return to it) when signing into a social networking site if PIN protection is being used on their mobile. Otherwise anyone finding their mobile phone and accessing the site from it will be able to access and abuse their social network account, for example by changing their profile, or sending messages to contacts in their name. Ensure that your child is aware of the privacy setting options of their account. It is important that you negotiate with your child the appropriate level of privacy and that it matches their level of emotional maturity and understanding. Advise your child to be careful not to share any information that may help locate them in the real world, for example, a photograph of a school uniform or street sign. Managing personal images and video postings The use and sharing of images and videos has proliferated online, especially on social networking and video-sharing sites. Images and videos can be loaded from cameras and mobile phones. Some mobile devices enable users to upload images and videos directly to social networking sites. It is very important that children and young people consider and choose carefully what they share online with friends and the wider community on the Internet, especially as photos can be easily copied and changed. The convenience of mobile phones means it is easy to upload images and videos ‘on the go’.
Particular care should be taken to ‘think before you post’ to avoid compromising privacy or safety, for example images from a party or of outrageous or compromising behaviour. If a child is posting photos containing their friends, for example, they should seek their friends’ permission first. Photos and videos can contain information that on its own may seem innocuous, but when put together with other information such as school details can be used to locate and identify the child. Photos and videos should be appropriate – not sexually provocative or explicit – so as not to attract unwanted attention from adults who may wish to exploit children and young people. Check the ‘acceptable use’ policies of social networking and other user-interactive sites. Most sites will remove explicit and ‘inappropriate’ images when they are brought to their attention. Ask your child whether they are comfortable with the content they are posting being seen by everyone they know and whether it might embarrass them at a later stageAdvise your child to be careful not to share any information that may help locate them in the real world, for example, a photograph of a school uniform or street sign. Managing personal images and video postings The use and sharing of images and videos has proliferated online, especially on social networking and video-sharing sites. Images and videos can be loaded from cameras and mobile phones. Some mobile devices enable users to upload images and videos directly to social networking sites. It is very important that children and young people consider and choose carefully what they share online with friends and the wider community on the Internet, especially as photos can be easily copied and changed. The convenience of mobile phones means it is easy to upload images and videos ‘on the go’.
Particular care should be taken to ‘think before you post’ to avoid compromising privacy or safety, for example images from a party or of outrageous or compromising behaviour. If a child is posting photos containing their friends, for example, they should seek their friends’ permission first. Photos and videos can contain information that on its own may seem innocuous, but when put together with other information such as school details can be used to locate and identify the child. Photos and videos should be appropriate – not sexually provocative or explicit – so as not to attract unwanted attention from adults who may wish to exploit children and young people. Check the ‘acceptable use’ policies of social networking and other user-interactive sites. Most sites will remove explicit and ‘inappropriate’ images when they are brought to their attention. Ask your child whether they are comfortable with the content they are posting being seen by everyone they know and whether it might embarrass them at a later stageManaging comments and postings Many young people go to great lengths in building their profiles and webpages, so receiving comments from the wider community can be exciting, compelling and is expected. It is important that children and young people understand the need to be responsible in what they post and contribute to other people’s social networking sites – ‘think before you post’ is a good maxim. There have been some incidents of bullying – often among known friends or peers on social networking sites – where bullying in the playground has continued and possibly escalated online. The potential to humiliate and harass individuals through comments and by posting images can be extremely hurtful and have a number of unintended consequences, such as spreading very quickly to a much larger audience online. It is important to set rules with your child about what is OK and not OK to post about anyone known or unknown.