#don't they teach internet safety online?

[konigsblog]

Orla minors who look at your posts just don't interact so you wouldn't even know their there they read and don't do anything

Yeah, I understand that some people do that (⁠T⁠T⁠). At the end of the day, they're the one fucking up their mental health. As an adult, they're going to be the one paying for therapy to heal themselves because reading this shit at a young age isn't healthy at all, because you can't differentiate fantasy from reality. And if their parents find out, then that'll be a very... awkward talk to have.

If you're a parent and don't bother checking your kid's phone, then you're a pretty irresponsible parent in my opinion, because you're not putting in any effort to protect them online. It's pretty negligent not to protect your kid, that's your job. 😶

[solazu1]

Do schools not teach online safety well enough anymore or are kids just fucking dumb nowadays. Genuine question.

[noa-ciharu]

Just seen a post which depicts perfectly how modern internet era dismantled people's sense of security online. It was a longer rant which basically came down to how neither side that makes 'problematic' content in fandoms nor one that fights against it are doing anything regarding the actual problem: real predators in fandoms.

Like, you know, internet and fandoms by extension were at any time space safe of dangers of all sorts.

I'm not sure how to say this without coming off as mean but - there are only as much others can do online to protect you from harmful people. Most of work is on you to cultivate who you interact with and who you trust. People online lie all the time; sometimes it's about mundane stuff with no deeper meaning, sometimes it's out of more malicious intent - most of time you can't tell. Of course a real predator would hide their intentions. With AI on the rise it'll be even easier for them to fake stuff and deceive. No one knows what's going on in private discord servers, snapchat or DMs - expecting strangers around you online to act like cops isn't going to help you at all

[dreamdolldeveloper]

back to basics

mostly free resources to help you learn the basics that i've gathered for myself so far that i think are cool

everyday

gcfglobal - about the internet, online safety and for kids, life skills like applying for jobs, career planning, resume writing, online learning, today's skills like 3d printing, photoshop, smartphone basics, microsoft office apps, and mac friendly. they have core skills like reading, math, science, language learning - some topics are sparse so hopefully they keep adding things on. great site to start off on learning.

handsonbanking - learn about finances. after highschool, credit, banking, investing, money management, debt, goal setting, loans, cars, small businesses, military, insurance, retirement, etc.

bbc - learning for all ages. primary to adult. arts, history, science, math, reading, english, french, all the way to functional and vocational skills for adults as well, great site!

education.ket - workplace essential skills

general education

mathsgenie - GCSE revision, grade 1-9, math stages 1-14, provides more resources! completely free.

khan academy - pre-k to college, life skills, test prep (sats, mcat, etc), get ready courses, AP, partner courses like NASA, etc. so much more!

aleks - k-12 + higher ed learning program. adapts to each student.

biology4kids - learn biology

cosmos4kids - learn astronomy basics

chem4kids - learn chemistry

physics4kids - learn physics

numbernut - math basics (arithmetic, fractions and decimals, roots and exponents, prealgebra)

education.ket - primary to adult. includes highschool equivalent test prep, the core skills. they have a free resource library and they sell workbooks. they have one on work-life essentials (high demand career sectors + soft skills)

youtube channels

the organic chemistry tutor

khanacademy

crashcourse

tabletclassmath

2minmaths

kevinmathscience

professor leonard

greenemath

mathantics

3blue1brown

literacy

readworks - reading comprehension, build background knowledge, grow your vocabulary, strengthen strategic reading

chompchomp - grammar knowledge

tutors

not the "free resource" part of this post but sometimes we forget we can be tutored especially as an adult. just because we don't have formal education does not mean we can't get 1:1 teaching! please do you research and don't be afraid to try out different tutors. and remember you're not dumb just because someone's teaching style doesn't match up with your learning style.

cambridge coaching - medical school, mba and business, law school, graduate, college academics, high school and college process, middle school and high school admissions

preply - language tutoring. affordable!

revolutionprep - math, science, english, history, computer science (ap, html/css, java, python c++), foreign languages (german, korean, french, italian, spanish, japanese, chinese, esl)

varsity tutors - k-5 subjects, ap, test prep, languages, math, science & engineering, coding, homeschool, college essays, essay editing, etc

chegg - biology, business, engineering/computer science, math, homework help, textbook support, rent and buying books

learn to be - k-12 subjects

for languages

lingq - app. created by steve kaufmann, a polygot (fluent in 20+ languages) an amazing language learning platform that compiles content in 20+ languages like podcasts, graded readers, story times, vlogs, radio, books, the feature to put in your own books! immersion, comprehensible input.

flexiclasses - option to study abroad, resources to learn, mandarin, cantonese, japanese, vietnamese, korean, italian, russian, taiwanese hokkien, shanghainese.

fluentin3months - bootcamp, consultation available, languages: spanish, french, korean, german, chinese, japanese, russian, italian.

fluenz - spanish immersion both online and in person - intensive.

pimsleur - not tutoring** online learning using apps and their method. up to 50 languages, free trial available.

incase time has passed since i last posted this, check on the original post (not the reblogs) to see if i updated link or added new resources. i think i want to add laguage resources at some point too but until then, happy learning!!

[melyzard]

Okay, look, they talk to a Google rep in some of the video clips, but I give it a pass because this FREE course is a good baseline for personal internet safety that so many people just do not seem to have anymore. It's done in short video clip and article format (the videos average about a minute and a half). This is some super basic stuff like "What is PII and why you shouldn't put it on your twitter" and "what is a phishing scam?" Or "what is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS and why do you care?"

It's worrying to me how many people I meet or see online who just do not know even these absolute basic things, who are at constant risk of being scammed or hacked and losing everything. People who barely know how to turn their own computers on because corporations have made everything a proprietary app or exclusive hardware option that you must pay constant fees just to use. Especially young, somewhat isolated people who have never known a different world and don't realize they are being conditioned to be metaphorical prey animals in the digital landscape.

Anyway, this isn't the best internet safety course but it's free and easy to access. Gotta start somewhere.

Here's another short, easy, free online course about personal cyber security (GCFGlobal.org Introduction to Internet Safety)

Bonus videos:

(Jul 13, 2023, runtime 15:29)

"He didn't have anything to hide, he didn't do anything wrong, anything illegal, and yet he was still punished."

(Apr 20, 2023; runtime 9:24 minutes)

"At least 60% use their name or date of birth as a password, and that's something you should never do."

(March 4, 2020, runtime 11:18 minutes)

"Crossing the road safely is a basic life skill that every parent teaches their kids. I believe that cyber skills are the 21st century equivalent of road safety in the 20th century."

[sabrondabrainrot]

This!!!!

Please practice Internet safety!! This is for minors and adults!

Especially with the rise of Internet bullying using AI. Be very cautious and don't send anyone photos of yourself, period. I know with social media etc it's normalized sending photos of yourself to friends but there's been horrible news about people using AI to take regular ordinary pictures and turn them into nudes etc.

Additionally , don't trust unsolicited links texted, emailed, or dmd to you. If it's not from a trusted source don't open it.

it's a very dangerous environment to be on Internet, especially for kids.

Please be smart and safe.

Hey. Minors following me. Internet safety is key!! NEVER include these in your bio/byf:

Medical diagnoses - this is nobody's business but yours. You don't owe anyone an explanation for why you are the way that you are

Trauma - same reason as above

Triggers - people can use these against you! Don't give people tools to hurt you. No one has to know what tags you block. Just block tags to stay safe!

Age - age is okay for adults to include but is iffy when you're a teen. Predators want this information, don't give people more than they need. Just state that you're a minor, that's all that anyone needs to know.

In general: stay safe. If you're not comfortable with every stranger out there having access to this information, you shouldn't post it on the internet.

Play devil's advocate and ask yourself about what would happen if someone searched for your information with intent to hurt you. You do NOT owe anyone an explanation!

[m-ilkiee]

"Omg ur exposing minors to bad stuff" if a minor can read and understand fanfiction, they can also read and understand the following words. RATED 18, DARK CONTENT, TW. INCEST, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT.

And if they can't understand simple sentences, then Wattpad is right there for them. Not tumblr.

You can bitch and moan about how writing shit like this is "bad", but really the closest thing you've read to an actual book with nuance is ... actually nothing, you don't read anything. It's always the smau writers who just entered tumblr, like shut up and sit down. If you're worried about kids, host a security seminar to parents to monitor their online presence or teach kids internet safety and how to use the block option. No one is obligated to hide their content from you because you think you're on a moral high ground compared to the rest of us. People like you are the reason why we can't say murder and kidnapping and call real pedophiles pedophiles because you don't want "kids" knowing bad stuff, but in reality you're doing more harm than good with your chronically online takes.

Respectfully take a break from smaus and pick up a book. I may not endorse many things but I'm on the side of artistic freedom and blocking people. I'm on the side of writing about darker topics and exploring trauma, because talking about pedophilia was how I discovered that I was assaulted at seven. Something I didn't know because adults with YOUR mindset refused to let me know that it's wrong for an adult to touch a child because "what about the kids."

I'm not saying children should be exposed to reading r 18 fics, god no. I'm saying that 1) people should write wtv the fuck they want without being looked at as a bad person. 2) kids should have a safe space, preferably with a trusted adult that is NOT on the internet who will not be afraid to talk about darker topics that can affect them. 3) enough of what about the kids or the mentally ill people, why should a kid be on my account?

[damnfandomproblems]

Fandom Problem 4387:

I'm not really sure when this change happened but at some point people decided that the burden of not interacting with anyone you don't want to interact with lies with everyone EXCEPT yourself.

We see this in DNIs, that range from "no racists / no Nazis" to "you must have the exact same opinions on every single cartoon as me". (First off, do you really expect extremist bigots to respect your DNI? That people like that just won't bother you if you ask them not to? If anything DNIs function only as a virtue signaling tool to tell people we deem Good People that we are also Good People.)

Just friggin use the block button, that's the only reliable way to make sure you never have to see or talk to anyone you don't want to, be it because they're racist extremists or because you don't like their headcanons about your favorite anime character, wherever you decide to draw the line at.

Another way is people yelling at people for "making gross fanfic and fanart!!" just, don't click it then? wtf it's not hard.

But bottom line, this is the internet. Before you even log in anywhere you need to prepare for the possibility that you're gonna see some cursed shit sooner or later. It's just part of being online. Shock sites have been around forever. "But the kiiidsss!!!-" shouldn't even be ON here if they aren't able to manage themselves.

Also this whole attitude that "everyone adult is an eeeviil pedophile groomer out to get you, EXCEPT *ME* OF COURSE YOU CAN TRUST *ME*, I AM YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL LOOKING OUT FOR YOU BUT NO ONE ELSE CAN BE TRUSTED!" Is DEFINITELY going to make it much easier for actual predators to hide in plain sight. Also? People could just be lying? Anyone could SAY they're a minor, to get the trust of other minors. IF kids are going to be on the internet, at least give them the tools to protect themselves. This means, don't list out every single thing that could be used to identify you and then slap "pedos DNI!!!" at the end and expect them to just leave, cause that's not gonna work. And don't assume everyone is always being honest, someone could SAY they're 15 and trans to try to relate to you, but you can't be sure WHO they are really, so don't give out any information that could be used against you.

And no, it's not "victim blaming" to say we should teach kids basic internet safety, any more than it would be "victim blaming" to teach kids not to dart into a busy street. "Stranger danger" isn't new but it sure seems like a lot of people have forgotten about it. Everyone has a responsibility to keep themselves safe. If someone--of any age--can't handle that responsibility THEY SHOULD NOT BE ONLINE.

[ohio-thestate]

I've seen a few gimmick blogs get accused of pretending to be minors so here's a PSA

Baseless accusations are not going to protect kids!

What IS going to protect them, is teaching them how to protect themselves.

On the internet, it's best to stay skeptical. It can be easy to trust people online, but it's important to keep in mind that you actually don't know that much about them.

What's going to keep people safe is proper internet safety, and knowing the difference between a real life friend and an online friend. There are numerous PSAs on internet safety so I won't go over that here, but I will outline the differences between IRL and online friends.

IRL FRIENDS

-You can trust them if you feel like you know them well enough

-You have hung out in person before

ONLINE FRIENDS

-You cannot trust them completely no matter how well you think you know them

-You have never hung out in person before (and probably should not trust and invitation to do so)

It may seem sad having a friend you can never trust, but it's better than ending up in a dangerous situation

[venbetta]

Okay, regarding the last post/ask, there's a part of me that worries for internet safety in recent times, because it's very easy to become a victim of hacking, doxxing, or in more extreme cases, actual harm (grooming, stalking, etc.).

Not to age myself (and others) but there was a time in school where teachers would show us videos and presentations of the dangers of lacking online literacy/safety. Net safety videos were a stable of my childhood and many others, and most of those videos discussed the following:

Do not post personal information about yourself online

Do not interact with people you don't know

Do not meet people you met online in real life

The effects of cyberbullying

Those were the basic stuff. There was a lot more to take away from them

And those videos were scary. That was the point of them. I think about them less now, but it stuck. Because it can happen. And it has happened.

That's why I'm worried and a little taken aback about the lack of understanding of safety and knowledge of the current internet user base. I know that kids and teenagers use the internet, it's nothing new at all. But they're not being taught how to be safe or use common sense!

At least not in a way that I'm aware of.

If they are being taught, it's either not taught well or it's not being retained. Either way, it's clear that it's not being implemented.

And yeah most of those rules above are broken almost immediately, because we as people have gotten too comfortable with posting and sharing our intimate lives publicly. Our ages, our genders, our dating status, our home state. I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't acknowledge that, yeah, I also have some of that info in my bios!

However, some make the mistake of including very sensitive information such as their state, town, school, and worst of all their face!

Even if you don't do it intentionally, whether your posting on tiktok or whatever, if you have your state flag in the background of a video with your school logo just barely showing, someone with enough time and effort will figure out where you are. It's been shown in not only those tiktoks doxxing people but in those old net safety videos, too!

If this is scaring you, that's the point. That's what those net safety videos did. And sure, you'll forget about the rules and get comfortable with providing that info... I know most of us have, but it's up to you to keep yourself safe as much as possible.

With the state of the internet now, it's imperative to have an understanding of what the dangers are. Especially with ai in the mix. That's why I'm hesitant to even post my selfies anymore (Fuck Instagram for their ai scraping feature). It's because of what people might do. It's anxiety inducing. And that's why I'm making it a point to just be mindful as to what you do when you're online.

Don't join spaces that might have people that may take advantage of your naivety (I'm talking to kids and teenagers). If you find yourself in a space with someone or a group that makes you uncomfortable, leave. If they threaten or coax you to stay, follow your gut instinct and leave. Do not communicate with anyone who makes you uncomfortable. If it feels to be too much, tell a trusted friend or adult who can help you get out of the situation.

Don't post your current location. Don't post your school or work. Don't post your face if you can help it. Don't click on random links from people you don't know, even if they're offering free robux or nitro. It's a scam!

And before anyone makes a comment demeaning those for not knowing these scams or basic net safety, get over yourself. People who don't know either were never taught to look out for those things or never encountered such things.

People of all ages fall for scams regardless of what it is, kids to old people who aren't tech savvy. It's in our interest to teach people these things so that they can protect themselves. It doesn't make us better for knowing something and then shaming others for not.

Just be safe out there.

[my-castles-crumbling]

is it too dangerous that i have my age, country and first name in my tumblr pinned post?

It’s a generic name and just… a country. And i don’t have my bday or anything, just my age so other ppl around my age know i’m their age (i’m a minor)

It never seemed to unsafe but recently i’ve been worried since like, online safety and stuff.

thanks cas :)

Hi hon! Okay, I go back and forth about stuff like this. Do I think you'll somehow get kidnapped based off of just your first name, age, and country? No. However, sometimes predators can use that PLUS other things you post to get more info about you. Is that likely? No, But it is possible. People do tiktoks about it all the time- someone on tiktok is like "bet you can't find me!" and the person finds them in like five seconds.

I don't think listing your country is a big issue.

As far as age, I think there are pros and cons. You say you are a minor: on the one hand, I think it's good to be clear about that online, especially to someone like me (I am an adult) because I make every effort to not allow minors to interact with my more mature content or discuss that content with minors. Adults who want to keep boundaries want to know who is a minor, because they want to respect that. HOWEVER, predators also want to know who is a minor.

But really, I think more than posting or not posting your age, it's important to recognize the signs of a predator. Educate yourself on the questions they might ask (grooming type behavior, specifics on where you live, small suggestive comments, anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. trust your gut.) I think posting your age in general is not bad, but please educate yourself on how predators act, so you are able to protect yourself.

The name is the worst one, in my opinion. It may be because I am a teacher and I am terrified of a digital footprint, but I always use a fake name online. when I just started college, I wrote some articles for an online platform, including one about being gay, and the odd questions I get. One of the questions I listed was a sexual question. I wrote under my legal name, and on the first day of my first teaching course, my Professor googled all of us one-by-one to prove that everything can be found when you interview for teaching. When the article came up, I instantly regretted writing it under my legal name, because that could have affected me getting jobs. I know it's such an annoying boomer (I promise, I'm not nearly that old, but yeah) thing to say, but the internet can follow you. So if anything, I think you should use a fake name. Especially if you're going to post anything that might be embarrassing to see in a job interview in ten years, lol.

This is just my opinion, though, and there are pros and cons to all of these. Like I said, I think more than deciding whether or not to list anything is educating yourself on signs of someone being unsafe. That's the priority.

I hope this helps!

[aphantimes]

Thoughts on the idea of Donut lord and pretzel lady being super protective over Knuckles, Sonic and Tails despite the fact they're superpowered space Critters. Like Donut lord teaching the trio the importance of internet safety and being careful who they talk to online? Or pretzel lady giving them curfews when they go outside and fretting when they don't come home on time?

they would be protective, yeah. they're aliens with super powers! that puts a huge target on their backs, even if the insist they've dealt with worse. they shouldn't be used to being targeted, they shouldn't be used to having to fight to defend themselves, they're KIDS!!! tom and maddie will do EVERYTHING in their power to keep them safe and happy.

we already know that sonic is quite reckless and tends to skirt around the rules. maybe he's a little better after movie 2 but he's still a cheeky little guy that'll drag tails into bypassing any internet blocks they try to put in place and stay up all night and get distracted on a run and accidentally miss the curfew by several hours. tails might start out quiet and try to follow the rules as much as possible so he doesnt lose his new family (😭), but once it sinks in that theyll love him no matter what he starts joining in on sonic's shenanigans lol

knuckles would be the one following the rules down to the letter and scolding his brothers when they start acting up haha

[chuuya-brainrot]

If you want to protect your kids against 'the internet' please just actually teach them about internet safety.

Or, if you don't want to bother with that, just don't let them access it??? Give them a game console without wifi or smth.

Anyway, KOSA is mainly political, have they done anything actually "for the kids"? Maybe they should start with the housing/wage/money crisis that's happening rn.

Things KOSA can do (don't @ me for this)

- remove anything remotely queer or trans (guys I believe this includes fanart, a lot of queer and trans creators might also be removed)

- remove protests online

- remove awareness of things (crisis in Sudan and Palestine)

Essentially, it impacts everyone and your own voice ('freedom of speech')

I care a lot about freedom of self expression, please sign it or even give them a call.

Anyway, here's an email petition thing, I think you can sign it outside of the USA (I did)

[demonic-shadowlucifer]

It's always: "Monitor your kids' internet use!" "Keep your kids off the internet!" "Don't share your age/full name/personal info online!" "Use the block button if needed!" "Get used to dealing with creeps/hate comments online" But never: "Learn to respect people's boundaries" "Teach your kids to respect people's boundaries" "Teach your kids to not post hate online" "Teach your kids to not scam people" "Teach your kids to not stalk people" "Stop scamming people because you find it fun" "Don't ask people for their passwords" (Because yes, it's important to teach online safety and internet etiquette. But I think it'd be more useful to just teach your kids (and ykw, adults too!) to *not* do the shit that made us need online etiquette in the first place!)

[nereb-and-dungalef]

Ok guys. Yes teach kids internet safety. However. I feel like the issue w the internet is less unsafe *people* and more that it's like, proven to be addictive and can limit kids' actual social lives, prevent them from getting exercise and real play time, and cause mental issues just by virtue of it *being addictive.* I mean ofc we don't *know* what the real issues of raising small children on the internet are because we've never seen this happen. But my guess is it's gonna produce high rates of anxiety, loneliness, and not knowing how to interact with society.

Does this mean the internet is dangerous? Yes. But some of y'all are saying "oh, the internet is *unsafe"* the same way helicopter parents say "riding the bus is unsafe" or "leaving the house at all is unsafe." Like, the real danger of the internet isn't that your kid is gonna see a penis. If they see a penis they can just turn off their phone. The real danger is getting stuck in the same spiral of doomscrolling that's causing so much anxiety in *adults.* The problem is not with a few bad actors, it's with the way the entire *system* is designed.

So like... teach kids internet safety. But y'all had better not be using internet safety as an excuse to stalk kids online

[redux-iterum]

My elementary school taught us the 'dangers of the web' and that being private is 100% the way to go: no name-sharing, VERY MUCH NO LOCATION, no ultra identifying info...had the school libarian come in at least once a year to talk about internet safety, and that was back when most homes didn't HAVE a pc.

Honestly wonder if that's still a thing nowadays! I would hope so, but with how all of the younger folk around me act (surrounded by late teens/early 20s, very open to airing their 'triggers' etc) I just have to sit there and wonder when that flip into oversharing being commonplace happened.

I have young cousins that gave their kids tablets and phones at 6, and while I got my own electronics early (first used flip phone at 12, in case of emergencies, fam pc when allowed!) I think giving your child a new phone/tablet/etc and NOT teaching them internet safety is absolute batshit. They don't see the issue with oversharing, and while at that age I had a 'idgaf' personality, too...the one grooming sitch I almost fell into I recognized what was happening, dipped accordingly, and chose to modify how I spoke to others online.

I still haven't made a linkedin for that purpose. I really, really don't want my info online. It's kinda scary how much we 'have to' share nowadays.

You. You get it.

I am very glad y'all agree with me, because I was sure I just sounded like an old curmudgeon whining about "the good old days". Privacy is one of the most valuable things a person can have in any aspect of their life, and now that EVERY aspect of their lives are on the internet, they have nothing.

I know the argument exists of "if you're a good person, you have nothing to hide, so why bother". I find that a very silly argument, as someone who doesn't even like being recognized as a regular at restaurants, let alone by my face online. Just because you have nothing to hide doesn't mean you should have to forfeit your rights to hide whatever you want about yourself. You're a human being, not a piece of media to be scrolled through and examined at every angle.