Facebook: Keeping your child safe
Stay safe on Facebook
Facebook is the most popular social networking site, but by default it's relatively easy to access information or see picture of others. We show you a few simple alterations to the settings which will ensure your child remains safe online.
1. Getting into Facebook's Privacy Settings
- At the top of your Facebook page you'll see a link that says Settings.
- When you hold your mouse over that link a menu will pop up.
- Click on Privacy Settings from that menu to get to the page you need
2. Your Teen's Profile Information?
It's important to ensure strangers can't see your teen's profile information:
- Start at the Privacy Settings page.
- Then click on the Profile link.
- You can now change the privacy settings for your teen's Facebook profile.
- For the safest setting choose the option to allow only friends to view all of the settings on the page.
3. Your Teen's Photos
Don't let just anyone see the photos your teen puts up:
- Start at the Privacy Settings page.
- Then, as before, click on the Profile link.
- Scroll down the page a bit and click the link that says Edit Photo Albums Privacy Settings.
- Now choose Only Friends as the privacy setting for every photo/album to keep your teen safest.
4. Your Teen's Personal Information
There's no way you want your teen's email address, address and phone number to be seen by all:
- From the Facebook privacy page again click on Profile.
- This time also click on the Contact Information tab to change these privacy settings.
- Change all the security settings on this page to No One for the most secure setting.
5. Your Teen's Profile
By default, anyone can do a search and find anyone using Facebook's search:
- Starting from Facebook's privacy page click on Search.
- Where it says Search Visibility choose the options that says Only Friends.
- Then under where it says Public Search Listing make sure the box is unchecked.
- These settings will ensure that only people on your teen's friend list will be able to find him in search.
6. Contacting your Teen
When someone finds your teen's profile they may want add them to their friend list or ask them a question:
- Starting from Facebook's privacy page click on Search.
- Then scroll down to the bottom of the page. There you'll see the How Can People Contact You section.
- Choose to disallow strangers from seeing your teen's photo or their friend list. Then choose whether to allow or disallow people from adding your teen as a friend.
- Most importantly, you'll need to decide whether you want strangers to be able to contact your teen at all.
