– To mark Universal Children’s Day (Nov 20), Panda Security offers guidelines to help keep children safe on social networks, forums, chatrooms, etc.
 

Young people are spending more and more time on the Internet; social networks, blogs and chats are just a few of the services used by children in their free time. Meanwhile, many parents are rightfully concerned about the dangers, including contact with strangers, access to inappropriate content and malware. With this in mind, and to mark Universal Children’s Day on November 20,

Panda Security has drawn up a list of practical guidelines to help children avoid these dangers and use the Internet and social networks more safely. With respect to social networks forums and chats, Panda Security offers the following advice:

– Don’t publish information that could identify you as a child, or reveal your home or school address, etc.

– Use a nickname instead of your real name in your profiles. Never reveal data such as your phone number or physical address, etc.

-If anyone contacts you and begins to annoy you or send you strange messages, tell an adult. 

-Be very careful which information you share online and who you allow to see this information. Particularly when you post photos, videos, etc., as these could easily be seen by strangers. 

– Only maintain friendships with people you know. 

– Never arrange to meet a stranger you have met on social networks.

When it comes to malware (viruses, worms, etc.), Panda Security advises: 

– Don’t click suspicious links from non-trusted sources. This applies to messages received through social networks and via email. 

– If you do click on any such links, take a good look at the page you arrive at. If you don’t recognize it, close your browser. 

– Even if you don’t see anything unusual on the page, but you are asked to download something, don’t accept. It is probably some type of malware.