Safer Internet Day 2021 - An Internet We Trust, Exploring Reliability in the Online World
This year, Safer Internet day is 9th February 2021 and Site and Search is very proud to be recognised as a supporter for this very important day!
Today is a day to celebrate all the wonderful opportunities, information and learning that are available at our finger tips, not to mention the positive social interaction it brings us, especially after what the last year has put us through. It has possibly saved so many from complete isolation and loneliness, what a wonderful gift we have 🧡
But today is also an awareness day, that is so important. We need to come together, to ensure the young and the isolated understand what is fact and what is not.
Social media is so powerful, its a wonderful tool to use to share our lives, to help move forward with plans and engage with so many, it's obvious we personally have this view, we wouldn't be helping people and businesses with it otherwise, but the majority of what people share personally is normally the best side of themselves, the happiest moments, they hardly show the struggles they face. It's easy for people looking in, to feel everyone else live perfect lives and the truth is, perfect doesn't really exist and this is where online can become a dangerous place to be.
There's no perfect person, there's no perfect life. I don't mean happiness, I mean perfection and yes, there is a difference.
It's very possible for people to live an imperfect life, with an imperfect partner, but still be extremely happy and that's exactly how it should be.
Safer Internet Day is about young people, all people, understanding that Social Media, Online articles and many fabulous photos are quite often 'fake news' and you shouldn't let what you see or read influence your daily decisions.
What Can We Do?
It is our jobs as parents, to not only know what our young ones are up to online, know which games they are playing and teach them the dangers of not knowing who they are talking to online. Teach them how they should never give out their true identities, or facts about where they go to school, play or even their friends names, but to also teach our kids, no matter how old, that what they see online is not true life, they don't have to pout, they don't have to change what they genuinely like wearing, they don't have to pretend their love life or their free time is the most fun they've ever had! Everyone is different, everyone wants different things and that is perfectly fine and acceptable. In fact, it's very admirable when you see young people stand up for this belief and tell the online world to stick it!
Keep Your Mental Health Healthy!
I've worked with many young people, from all walks of life over the years and now working online and in social media, I feel a huge responsibility to share my advice. To help keep people safe and to keep their mental health healthy.
My advice is to only follow people or businesses on Social Media, that inspire you to do more of what you love, only follow people or businesses that you really want to become. Don't let just anyone follow your accounts, Social Media is about keeping in touch, not about numbers!
Surround yourself with good, positive, true human beings, both in life and online, who always tell it how it really is and support you and others around them and never, never let anyone or anything you see online, change your perception of how you see yourself or the world ...
Unless of course, it makes yourself feel truly amazing!