Safety Tips for Online Interactions
Have you ever found yourself in an uncomfortable or tricky situation online? Maybe while gaming, texting, using social media, or sharing photos?
Information you share online can spread quickly, and oversharing can put your safety, privacy, and relationships at risk. Sometimes we end up in tricky situations and don't know what to do next.
This toolkit can help you identify tools and resources.
- Quick Video: The Museum of You
Think Before You Share
When you add strangers or keep your profile public, you're not just sharing your own life—you could also be putting your friends at risk.
- Tagging people or sharing photos can reveal locations and personal info, often without consent.
- What you post, and what others post about you, can be seen by anyone if your privacy settings aren’t locked down.
- Public accounts make it easy for strangers to see where you are, what you're doing, and who you're with.
Keep it private. Keep it safe.
Things that are usually OK to share:
- Your first name or nickname
- Hobbies in general (e.g., “I like painting,” instead of “I take art classes at ___ school”)
- Favorite music, shows, or movies
- Pets' names (if they’re not tied to passwords or personal info)
- Photos that don’t show your location, school name, or anything too personal
- Opinions on topics (as long as they’re respectful and not super personal)
Things you should avoid sharing:
- Full name (especially with your last name)
- Age or birthdate
- School name
- School photos (uniforms/logos can give this away too)
- Home address or neighborhood
- Phone number
- Email address
- Names of family or close friends
- Specific locations you hang out (e.g., “at the mall every Friday at 5”)
- Vacation plans (especially if you're away from home)
- Anything you use in passwords or security questions (like your pet's name if it's part of your password)
Chatting Safely Online
If you’re chatting with someone online and something makes you feel uncomfortable, worried, or stressed, pause and trust your gut—that’s a red flag.
Be extra cautious if someone asks for personal information, photos, or videos.
The same goes if you see posts with weapons, fight videos, threats, or hate. That kind of content can be harmful or even illegal. Even if it’s not about you, it’s okay to feel unsure. Your feelings matter.
Red Flags when chatting online
- Asking you to keep information secret
- Flirting with you
- Asking you about anything private
- Making you feel pressured to do anything
- Causing you to feel untrue to yourself
- Asking you to meet in person, or move that chat to a private one-to-one account (like Instagram or SnapChat)
Ways to respond:
- Don't share or comment on the content
- Save the evidence (Screenshot and/or use another device to screenshot/video record)
- Change the subject, make a joke, or say, "I don't want to talk about this"
- Log off or quit
- Ask a trusted adult for advice or help if you feel unsure or uncomfortable in any situation
- Unfriend the person or block them; create a new account, or report the other user
- NEVER plan a face-to-face meeting with someone you do not know unless you take along a parent or guardian
Resources for Youth
For more information about staying safe online, see the following resources:
The Online Safety Toolkit was created through:
