Think before you post

Have you ever posted an update or a comment online and then later regretted it? We have all done that! It’s in our nature to be impulsive, at least some of the time.
And kids are even more impulsive – they often act or say things without thinking of the consequences. They are now growing up with social media, and what young children say online will still be around when they are a teen at high school, or an adult looking for work.
You can’t take it back
Any digital information that you share, such as emails, photos or videos, can easily be copied and this is almost impossible to remove. You shouldn’t post anything that could damage your reputation, friendships or future school and work prospects.
We all need to stop and think about how what we write could look to others before we post our updates. Especially when we use humour and sarcasm – that is often not clear in a text-based medium!
Before you post
Take a little bit of time to think about how others will see your posts. How you will feel about them in 1-5-10 years time.
- Status updates – What will my friends and family feel if they read this? What would a stranger think if they read it without knowing any context?
- Hashtags – Check the content for the hashtag that you want to use. It may not be used how you expect it to be.
- Photos – Do you have permission to post photos if they are of someone else? They may not want their photo publicly visible.
- Selfies – How will this photo look to family, friends and potential employers? Don’t post it if there is any alcohol or silly behaviour, or worse, lewd behaviour!
Respect others’ right to privacy
Sharing secrets without permission is frowned upon. It’s the same with personal information. Unless you have permission, don’t post personal details about other people, including photos, and especially if it is potentially embarrassing or hurtful.
Teach your children to share with care
Have a chat to your kids about these issues, and help them learn to share with care – think about how what they post affects others now, and how it could be perceived in the future.
NCSAM and StaySafeOnline, please visit staysafeonline.org/ncsam

Comparison of private search engines
If you want to search in private there is a number of private metasearch and search engines available. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of each one? See the comparison chart and make you choice.

How to keep your searches private
Keep your search and browsing information out of the hands of advertisers – use a private search engine

How do private search engines make money?
If you want to use a private search engine, one of the question that often is askes is “How do they make money?”. There various ways a search engine can keep you privacy and make money. See the comparison chart and learn more about private search engines.