An Ofcom report has come out today, warning of the dangers to children who are unaware of the risks of leaving your personal info to run free on your social networks. There’s 25% of 8-11 year olds who have sneakily ticked the ‘yeah, I am *totally* the right age to use one of these things’ when really they should have stayed away.
But it’s not just a kid-based thing - most of us are guilty of sharing a little too much online, so here are a few tips to keep you safe.
1) If you wouldn’t say it to a stranger, don’t post it
If a man stopped you in the street and asked for your full address, date of birth and email address, would you give it to him? Hell, no. So don’t put it online - that man on the street is a lot harder to trace when he’s nothing more than an IP address.
2) Be aware of your networks
I once posted a post-date analysis on Facebook, thinking the boy in question wouldn’t see it. I didn’t realise that by joining the London network everyone in that could see my full profile - ouch. This is customisable now, so go into the ‘Privacy’ area of FB and check out who you’ve allowed full access to your profile.



