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​What is social media safety?​

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​Did you know that approximately 60% of kids and teens ages 3-17 can easily access online content? — Internet and social media at our children's fingertips! An average kid watches 91 minutes of Tiktok videos per day and with the upcoming holiday season, they will have more free time and definitely more screen time.​

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​As much as we want to control our kid's social media activities to keep them safe, it is impossible to limit them, they will find ways by hook or by crook to access it. Rather than focusing on the impossible, let's educate ourselves and our kids on how to stay safe online. With the government's efforts to pass two ​​new bills​​ COPPA 2.0 (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) and KOSA (Kids Online Safety Act) plus online safety education at home, we can create a safer online environment for everyone.​

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​Here are essential tips for social media safety from our Trend Micro Check Team.​

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​Do not share your location​

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​Sharing your real-time and exact location online is never a good idea, with SNS geotagging feature,  this might send unwanted invitations or attract attention from shady online bad guys. The best thing to do is to disable this feature in location services. Another tip is to delay sharing that family dinner date in your favorite restaurant or that summer family vacay online.​

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​Have "The  Talk" with your kids​

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​While enjoying the benefits of Social Media, it is very important that our kids know the boundaries of what they can do, what apps they can use, and how to handle unfamiliar situations with strangers. ​

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​Having healthy open communication to talk about what they do online will give them the confidence to share their online experiences and questions with you. It will also help you understand your kids and what's "IN" with their generation. ​

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​No to oversharing​

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​Full name, birthdate, and home address are samples of personal details that they should learn not to share online. Make sure they understand the consequences and dangers of invaded privacy. Children should know not to:​

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• ​Share their name, number, email address, passwords, address, school, or picture;​
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• ​Respond to emails, messages, or friend requests from people they don’t know;​
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• ​Respond to hurtful or disturbing messages and/or images;​
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• ​Physically meet anyone they have met only online — or anyone you don’t know;​
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• ​Share images of valuables, such as expensive Christmas gifts.​
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​These are a few essential Social Media safety tips, ​​continue reading here for more.​

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​A Helping Hand from Trend Micro​

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​Here at Trend Micro, we understand the challenges of modern parenting. That’s why we’ve been excited about the success of ​​Trend Micro Family​​, our ​​FREE​​ digital wellness solution that has linked apps for both parents and kids. With this all-in-one parenting tool, you’ll receive updates from Trend Micro on what your children are ​​searching​​ for, ​​viewing​​, and even what ​​locations​​ they have visited. Add to that our real-time AI that blurs inappropriate content, as well as our social media privacy protection tool — and you’ll be getting the support you need when it comes to managing screen time.​

​Recently, ​​TechRadar​​ published an organic review of Trend Micro Family, awarding it an impressive 4.5/5.​

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