It’s important that everyone knows the benefits and potential risks involved with social networking websites. These community-oriented sites allow teens to connect with others through profiles that may reveal too much information. In fact, a recent survey found that 34% of teens had posted their real names, telephone numbers, home addresses or the names of their schools. Even more teens (45%) had posted their ages or dates of birth, and 18% posted pictures of themselves.

SOCIAL NETWORKING 101

Social networking sites incorporate instant messaging, chat rooms, profiles, pictures, e-mail, and blogging all in one place. Popular examples include MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, and Xanga. If used safely, there can be many positive aspects of social networking. It can:

• Enhance communication and writing skills.
• Help teens creatively express themselves.
• Allow them to keep in touch with friends.

Features of social networking sites include:

• Choosing a design, creative name, and unique URL for a page.
• Posting pictures and videos.
• Listing name, age, and location.
• Showing when they are online.
• Showing when they last accessed the site.
• Choosing a song to play when a profile is accessed.
• Filling out surveys.
• Listing interests and favorite things.
• Posting bulletins to friends.
• Joining groups to connect with like-minded users.
• Blogging their daily activities, feelings, and moods.
• Searching for friends in a variety of ways.

Revealing Personal Information — Profiles & Blogs

Most social networking sites have privacy settings that limit access to a user’s profile. Teens can set their profiles to private and keep personal information such as photos and blogs hidden from view.

Blogs and online journals are ways for teens to express themselves. Some teens write about their insecurities; innermost thoughts; and feelings about their families, friends, and teachers.

Posting these “diaries” can make teens potential targets for predators. A predator can easily use vulnerabilities and insecurities to bond with a teen, coaxing him or her into a potentially dangerous in-person meeting.

Posting Photos

Teens often inadvertently put themselves at risk when they share photos. Many post pictures (alone or in a group) of themselves wearing jerseys from sports teams. The name of the team, combined with the personal information listed in a profile, makes it easy to trace a location or their school.

An alarming number of teens also post inappropriate or sexually provocative pictures to get attention. Once a picture is posted online, anyone can have access to it and use it for exploitation. Teens should never post pictures they wouldn’t want posted around their schools for everyone to see.

Adding Friends to Gain Popularity

Many teens see a friends list as a symbol of popularity. They add friends who they may not know in person, allowing anyone full access to their profiles.

To help prevent giving profile access to people with harmful intent, teens should only add people they know in real life to their friends lists. The comments section should also be monitored to ensure that it is free of posts containing details about whereabouts, future plans, and other revealing information.

The same care should be taken when teens communicate in like-minded “groups” or allow their photos to be “ranked.” Any user — not just friends — can view, comment on, and contact the person who submitted the image. Teens need to learn not to respond or to deny a friend request from someone they don’t know in person.

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