Tips for keeping your family safe on social media.

Prince George

2023-10-05 10:27 PDT

Social media.

These are two short words but their daily impact on us is large. And in the same way that police officers issue safety tips about topics such as distracted driving or fraud, Prince George RCMP is offering some safety tips to the community about social media.

We spend a lot of time in schools speaking with children and youth about social media, states Constable Mireille Haunts, Community Policing Officer. We start with the grade three students, talking about general online safety and privacy. As the students get older, we start talking about topics like sexting and sextortion, cyberbullying, and even human trafficking. It’s important that students learn about the potential risks involved when they are using social media.

Click here for a copy of our Internet Safety Infographic.

Police officers also encourage parents to speak with their kids and teens about social media. Ask what social media platforms they are using and make sure you are comfortable with them sharing information that way. Talk with them about what to do if they see or have done something online that makes them uncomfortable.

Here are some safety tips to help you stay safe online:

• Keep personal details shared online or in chats to a minimum.
• Remember everything online is instant, public and permanent.
• Use the Grandma rule: if you wouldn’t say it to grandma, don’t say it online.
• Set the platform’s privacy settings to limit the information you broadcast on social media.

For more information about keeping kids and teens safe while online, you can visit the following websites:

For parents:

• BCRCMP Online Safety
• Cybertip.ca
• ProtectKidsOnline.ca

For kids:

• Zoe & Molly Online
• NetSmartzKids

For youth:

• NeedHelpNow.ca
• Don’tGetSextorted.ca

Released by

Cpl. Jennifer Cooper

Email: pg_media@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Website: princegeorge.rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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