Using social media becomes a risk to adolescents more often than adults realise. Most risks fall into these categories: peer-to-peer; lack of understanding of online privacy issues; and the influences of advertisers. Although “online harassment” is often used interchangeably with the term “cyberbullying”, is actually different. Research suggests that online harassment is not as common as offline harassment, and participation in social networking sites does not put most children at risk of online harassment. Cyberbullying is using digital media to communicate false, embarrassing, or unfriendly information about another person. It is the most common online risk for all teens and can have profound emotional effects.

Researchers have introduced a new phenomenon called “Facebook depression”, defined as depression that develops when youngsters spend a lot of time on social media sites and then begin to show classic expression of depression. The power of the online world is thought to be a factor that may cause depression in some adolescents. As with offline depression, young people who suffer from Facebook depression are at risk of social isolation and sometimes turn to risky internet sites for “help”. The main risks to young people online today are each other, risks of improper use of technology, lack of privacy, or posting false information about themselves or others. These types of behaviour threaten their privacy.

When people go onto websites, they can leave evidence of their visits. This ongoing record of online activity is called the “digital footprint”. One of the biggest threats to young people on social media sites is to their digital footprint and future reputations. Young people who lack an awareness of privacy issues often post inappropriate material without understanding that “what goes online stays online”. As a result, future jobs and college acceptance may be put at risk of inexperienced clicks of the mouse.

(Adapted from Cambridge English Compact by Simon Haines)