In just 3 seconds you can shatter your online reputation, whether you an an adult, teen or child. Sharing a nude/naked selfie is one of the quickest ways to do this, damaging your reputation and that of your business or employer.
This content is hot content that will be shared if you publish it. Don’t press send!
In adult circles, revenge porn is rife – sharing nudes of one’s ex-partner after splitting up. It’s keeping social media lawyers very busy and it ruins lives and reputations. It’s tough to come back from a naked selfie of you being circulated far and wide. It’s out there and it’s public property. Even if action is taken against the perpetrator of the crime, your nude is still out there.
As it’s World Cyber Safety Week right now, here is a reminder to ask yourself these critical questions before sharing anything, anywhere online:
- What does this image, video or post say about me?
- How will I feel if someone else shares this with their followers or group?
- How will my employer react if this goes viral?
CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF
If you are ever asked to share a nude, just don’t!
- It’s not worth it no matter how many promises your partner makes that they will never share it.
- Anyone who insists or persists in telling you they will love you more if…. or it’s part of a healthy relationship…. or it’s a relationship deal-breaker, etc. is not worthy of you. Get out!
- This applies to casual or committed relationships, to teens and adults alike.
If you are a parent, please listen to my interview on Radio 702 last week, and watch the TV interview I did on Expresso which reveals that children in primary school with smartphones are as much at risk as teenagers.
If you are not prepared to talk to your kids about sex, porn, nudes, grooming, predators, paedophiles, extortion, blackmail and reputational risk, among many other topics, then your child should not have a cellphone!
CYBER-SAFETY RESOURCES
I am not anti technology or digital devices at all, but there is a risk and promise that comes with technology. You cannot manage the risks if you don’t know what they are. Remember, adults are just as vulnerable as kids so read on. I have put together a list of eye-opening cyber-safety resources below about the threats and dangers of online dating, gambling, fraud, sharing risky images, identity theft and more. The blue text below has a link to each resource:
Tween and Teen Cellphone Contract
- Download it and discuss the contents with your kids. If you are not prepared to have these conversations with your children, they should not be out there with a smartphone. Forewarned is forearmed. Cyber-safety and tech-savvy parenting are made up of many conversations throughout childhood and the teen years, not just a single talk.
- This is worth watching on Netflix. I suggest that if you have teens from 15 years and up that you watch it with them too. It’s jaw-dropping how gullible we can be. It will be a great conversation starter.
- This must-view movie on Netflix is for you and your kids from 14 and up is about interconnected family stories when things go wrong online. Your teens need a wake-up call about how things can go south very fast, and so do you. It can happen so easily to any of us.
- This is a documentary series on Netflix in which tech experts from Silicon Valley sound the alarm on the dark side of social networking addiction and how it is used to manipulate and influence users. Essentially, social media is designed to keep you online. The longer you are online, the greater the probability that you will buy something, or you will give away your name and contact details which then get shared and sold on to advertisers, service providers and even criminal syndicates.
Bark parental control software
- Bark will help you to monitor your child’s online behaviour on social media sites. Think of it like fairy wheels on a two-wheeler bike. Warning: Parental control software doesn’t replace the relationship and conversations you need to have with your child before they get into trouble, or after the fact – it can only help to track, diagnose and prescribe the next steps. Don’t bother if you already have a teen but if you do, remind them in just 3 seconds they can shatter their online reputation.
- Your Gryphon® Router will replace your existing WiFi Router and, with the companion app, give you full control of your Internet, ie. what’s coming into your home. Your Internet Service provider doesn’t care about you children, so you should.
- This is an excellent app for tweens and teens that has really impressed me. It’s not adults telling kids what to do or not do. It’s teens sharing their own experiences. The videos your kids will interact with consist of simulations based on real-life ‘what if’ moments. For example, a sexting conversation on Whatsapp and how a request for a nude would really go down. The app gives them a blueprint for what to do should they ever find themselves in a variety of different sticky situations. Parents, I suggest you watch too. Purchasing the app for your child is only half the story. You need to be on the page so that you can have real conversations with your kids. And you could learn a whole lot that might save you from getting into an undesirable situation yourself.
- I wrote this book with tech guru, Arthur Goldstuck that covers all the fundamentals with age-appropriate guidelines. Chapter 13 is written for your kids, to be read together with your kids and by your kids on their own. It’s a brilliant summary of the entire book.
In just 3 seconds you can shatter your online reputation, so think before you post and stay safe online.
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