Have you ever wondered if you’re using social media responsibly?

I know from experience that irresponsible actions can lead to long-term effects such as mental and emotional issues.

When I first created my social media accounts, I set my account to public mode exposing my personal information. Then I began to receive messages from strangers that were extremely upsetting.

I immediately decided to takesteps to act more responsibly and secure my information and safety to create a positive experience online.

I use social media a lot for chatting with my friends, posting pictures, and learning new things. However, I didn’t realize I left a visible trail when online.

This is what’s called your digital footprint, and it includes:

• Anything you've commented, posted, retweeted, shared, or liked

• Comments or posts made about you

• Places you've visited, including your current location

  

And your digital footprint is also a recorded history of:

• Websites you've visited

• Web searches you've done

• Where you're located via your IP address

Once I became aware my interactions on social media made me vulnerable or might cause harm to others, I learned what actions are considered irresponsible when engaged online:

• Cyberbullying — hurtful, abusive, or threatening messages

• Trolling — posts or comments to provoke negative reactions

• Sharing private information about others without their consent

• Spreading or re-sharing fake news

Based on my personal experience, these are actions that I would urge you to avoid when you're using social media sites:

Don’t be an irresponsible user who:

• Follows strangers online

• Forgets to log out from your social media accounts

• Shares your location (especially in real-time)

• Talks negatively about others

Be a responsible user who:

• Updates your security settings on a regular basis

• Searches for yourself often on Google

• Communicates positively, rather than negatively, with other people online

• Un-tags yourself from potentially harmful photos or posts

Follow these tips to practice being responsible on social media platforms: