Social Media

Social media can be a great way for you and your friends to connect, celebrate your experiences and learn both in and outside of football. Social media is a fast paced environment where things can change quickly, with new apps or new features bringing new ways to communicate and share. This can bring increased risks and new dangers. Always be thoughtful on how you stay safe online by considering the following steps:

1. Be careful what you share online
   1. Think about your profile picture and the information you share. Some photos and information could give people you don't know information about where you live.
   2. Think about what should be shared publicly and what should be kept private.
   3. Be aware that you may be sharing your location with other users. Turning off locations settings can help protect your privacy.
   4. Be aware that ‘sexting’ is against the law. If you have concerns about this, tell a trusted adult who can support you.
2. Think before you post or like anything
   1. Once you press send or click like on a post, comment or image it no longer stays private;
   2. Don’t upload anything you wouldn’t want you parents, teachers, teammates, friends or club coaches to see. If you don’t want them to see it, don’t post it.
   3. Anything you post online can be screenshotted/recorded without your consent, including live streaming and snapchat;
   4. Posting inappropriate content may seem innocent at the time, but you are building a digital footprint and it may reappear in the future with serious consequences.
3. Be aware of your security settings
   1. Keep your page private;
   2. Review and accept posts that you are tagged in before they appear on your timeline;
   3. Check your security settings after any updates as they may have defaulted back to public settings;
   4. Be aware that joining some apps may automatically connect you with people on other apps, for example, joining yubo may automatically connect you with users on snapchat;
   5. Read the Terms’ & Conditions’ (if they are too complicated to understand, ask for help);
   6. This may seem like an obvious one! Always keep your passwords private and secure;
      1. Use strong passwords that are hard for anyone to guess, use symbols like £/@/%/!
      2. Change them regularly;
      3. Always reset a default password on a new device or app.
4. Be careful who you chat to
   1. If someone tries to connect with you who you don’t know, ignore them. You also have the option to delete, block or report them should you feel worried;
   2. An individual who you don’t know may not be the actual person they are identifying as online;
   3. Never meet someone that you do not know or have only met online in person, if someone requests to do so always tell a trusted adult;
   4. You should always turn down private conversations over social media with any adults within the club, they should not be requesting this as all conversations should be done with your parents included or through an official club account. It this does happen, it should be reported to a trusted adult, your club’s Child Wellbeing & Protection Officer or the Scottish FA.
   5. If you have any concerns on social media, you should always speak to or tell someone who you trust e.g. email, letter or text message.

If you want to learn more about how to stay safe online, Childline provide more advice and practical guidance on staying safe online both through their website here and their YouTube page here.