Facebook urges young users to ‘think before you share’

A new social media initiative aimed at encouraging young people to "think before they share" has been launched by Facebook and SpunOut.ie.

The online safety guide, which aims to provide tips on sharing content responsibly, highlights to users the importance of “being thoughtful” about social media activity “to avoid upsetting themselves and others”.

Advice in the guide focuses on three general themes: “your own stuff”, “other people’s stuff” and “fixing things if they go wrong”.

Privacy

It advises individuals that passwords should always be kept confidential, and that users can control who sees their posts by managing their privacy settings and using the audience selector tool.

It also encourages people to be “considerate about other people’s privacy” and to be conscious that content such as private photos “can outlast a relationship or can be passed on beyond the intended audience”.

The guide can be found here.