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Prevention
How to protect yourself online
Most digital violence starts where personal data is left too open. A few settings and habits significantly reduce the risk.
Settings worth changing today
Check who can see your posts, who can message you and what is public on your profile. That is five minutes of work on each network.
- A private profile, and approving followers
- Location switched off in photos and posts
- Strong, different passwords and two-factor sign-in
- No phone number, address or school name in the profile description
- Messages from strangers limited or switched off
The habits that help most
Technology does not solve everything — the most important rule is that for anything unpleasant there is someone you will tell.
- Do not send intimate photos, not even to someone you trust
- Do not accept requests from profiles you do not know
- A screenshot before you block
- Tell an adult straight away when something disturbs you
- Do not pass on a recording of someone’s humiliation — that is violence too
What you can do now
- Check the privacy settings on every network.
- Turn on two-factor sign-in.
- Agree with a parent who you turn to if there is trouble.
- Help a friend who is suffering violence to report it.
Emergency numbers
Police 122
Emergency services 112
Child helpline 116 111
