Respected teachers and dear friends,
Good morning to one and all.
Social networking sites such as Facebook and instant messaging services like WhatsApp have made building relationships easy, instant and colourful. Yet children should not close their eyes to the dangers in it.
First and foremost, never add a stranger to your friend list. You have no way no knowing what his or her true identity is. He can be a link in an online racket or he can be part of a terrorist organisation. You never know.
Secondly, never reveal private information regarding your identity or location. For example, if you make it easy for strangers to know who your friends are, which are the places you hang out with them, and what your pastimes are, someone can easily track you. Therefore make sure that you fine-tune your privacy settings to make it nearly impossible for strangers to gather information about you.
Thirdly, do not share private photographs on social media. As a warning, know that if your smart phone is given for software upgrade or repair, a techie with wrong motive can easily transfer all your photos including deleted ones and chat logs. Several instances of such photos and chats being used for slandering people have been reported in recent times.
Finally and most importantly, if at all anyone tries to blackmail you do not panic and do not try to fight it alone. The blackmailers would warn you to keep your mouth shut. Do not listen to them. Instead seek the help of your parents and trusted teachers at once. Open up and talk. They will help you. And make sure you remember– suicide is NOT an option!
Let me conclude by asking you to do one thing: If someone adds you to a chat group where you feel the content shared or discussed is inappropriate for you, exit the group immediately!
Yes friends, it is true that social media offers us a sense of freedom and instant communication. But use these benefits with responsibility and caution! Thank you.
Would You Be Free from the Burden of Sin
