The Importance of Internet Safety

In an ever increasingly digital world, the internet has become an essential part of our everyday lives providing us entertainment, communication and educational applications. However, with this convenience comes a grand number of potential risks for students; In order to stay safe in our technological age, students should take proactive measures to protect themselves and others.
The first step is quite obvious, yet crucial: never share personal information online, including but not limited to: your full name, address, phone number or school anywhere online. Even little pieces of personal information can be used by bad actors to find out more information about you and potentially spread it to others.
Anything shared online is there forever, so make sure you think before you post. Before sharing a picture, video or comment anywhere, think to yourself, “Would I be okay if my parents, teachers, or future employers saw this?” Once you post something, it's going to be there forever, even if you think you deleted it.
It’s also very important to make sure that you never make plans to meet anyone you met off of the internet. If someone online is making you uncomfortable or sending you threats, report the account, block the account and make sure to tell a trusted adult or local authorities.
Internet safety isn’t just about protecting yourself, it's also about protecting the others around you. Remember to stay kind to the people around you and treat them as if you were face to face, and if you notice someone is being cyberbulled, remember to tell a trusted adult and our school resource officer, Officer Miller.
Whilst not directly linked to internet safety, the internet can provide a myriad of physical afflictions. Remember to balance your screen time with time you spend off of your devices; the internet can be a good distraction from the real world but too much screen time can affect your mood, focus and sleep cycles. Going outside, reading, or spending time with your friends and family face-to-face is very important for your well being and your social development. Staying safe online doesn’t mean avoiding the internet, it just means knowing how to use the internet wisely. Remembering these few things will help protect you, your friends, family and future. Even after high school and college, remaining safe and secure on the internet is very important.