Safety Tips

Safety Tips

Safety on the internet is something that FreshBrain takes very seriously.  We have created the following tips to help you.  Please read the appropriate section.  Thanks!

Tips for Teens
  • Protect your personal information – Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want everyone to know, like your full name, Social Security Number, address or phone number.  Also, avoid posting information that strangers could use to identify you or locate you offline (for example, the name of your school, sports team, and where you work or hang out). 
  • Come up with a creative screen name that doesn’t say too much about you – You don’t want to use your name, age, or hometown.  It can be surprisingly easy to combine clues to figure out who you are and where you can be found.
  • Think before posting photos – Avoid posting photos that allow people to identify you or that contain suggestive images.  Consider blurring or morphing your photos to prevent abuse by cyberbullies or predators. 
  • Avoid meeting people you don’t fully know – Be wary if a new online friend wants to meet in person.  If you decide to meet, be sure to meet in a public place during the day and bring an adult.  Remember that meeting an Advisor offline is strictly prohibited under the FreshBrain Terms of Use [Insert Link to TOU].
  • Don’t lie about your age – If FreshBrain becomes aware that you have lied about your age, we will delete your profile. 
  • Be nice online – Treat people the way you would want to be treated.  People who are mean and aggressive online are at greater risk themselves of being bullied or harassed.
  • Speak up if something doesn’t feel right - If you feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable with suggestive or inappropriate comments, tell your parents or an adult you trust and the police.  Check out the information below on ”Cyberbullying”.    
  • Once posted, always posted – Remember, once you post information online, you can’t take it back.  Even if you delete the information from a website, there is a chance it has been copied, forwarded, or reposted.  So don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your parents, teachers, coaches, or future employers to come across.
  • Protect your privacy – When you edit your profile, you will see where your information is made available.  Consider this when making any information visible to others.  Only accept friend invitations from people you know and trust.
  • Additional information - For additional information regarding online safety,  you can visit these other resources:

OnGuard Online: http://onguardonline.gov/socialnetworking_youth.html
SafeTeens.com: http://www.safeteens.com/
BlogSafety.com: http://www.blogsafety.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1100000006

Tips for Parents
  • Start a conversation – It is important to have an open dialogue about Internet use and online safety with your teens.  Ask your teen about how they use the Internet, why they use FreshBrain, and who they connect with while they are online.  Ask them to show you their profile, the friends they have met on FreshBrain, and the projects they are working on.    
  • Be reasonable and try to set reasonable expectations –  Set boundaries for Internet usage just like you do for the television or telephone.
  • Help teens understand what information should be private – Explain to them why it is important to keep some things to themselves.  Information like their full name, Social Security number, street address, phone number, and information about their family should always stay private.  Tell them not to choose a screen name that discloses personal information. 
  • Remind teens to be cautious – Just like the offline world, people aren’t always who they say they are.  Encourage teens to exercise the same basic safety principles they do in the real world.  They should talk to you first if they want to meet an online friend in person.  If you think it is safe, any meeting should take place in public with a trusted adult present.  
  • Reinforce to teens that once they post information online, they can’t take it back– Even if your teen deletes the information, there is a chance it has been copied, forwarded, or reposted.  It is important for them to remember that many people can see their profile and the comments they post including parents, teachers, the police, colleges, and even future employers.   
  • Talk to your kids about “Cyberbullying” – Cyberbullying is bullying or harassment that happens online.  Explain to your kids that the words they type and the images they post can have real-world consequences.  Bullying others can hurt feelings, hurt themselves and sometimes  lead to punishment by the authorities.  Encourage your kids to talk to you if they feel targeted by a bully.  For more information on Cyberbullying, check out the information provided below.     
  • Tell your kids to trust their gut if they have suspicions – If they feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable because of something online, encourage them to tell you.  You can help them report concerns to the proper authorities.  [Note to FreshBrain: You may consider providing a link where users can report suspicious activity or inappropriate behavior on the site. If you do, you have to be prepared to manage and address the reports or comments you receive.]
  • Additional information - For additional information regarding online safety,  you can visit these other resources:

OnGuard Online- FTC safety tips for parents: http://onguardonline.gov/socialnetworking.html
SafeFamilies.org: http://www.safefamilies.org/parents.php
WiredSafety.org: http://www.wiredsafety.org

About Cyberbullying

“Cyberbullying” is bullying or harassment that happens online.

  • It can take the form of an email, IM or posting from someone who is threatening to hurt you;
  • It might be rumors posted about you or spread online for others to see;
  • It could be a profile made by someone pretending to be you or someone hacking into your profile and writing comments pretending to be you.
  • It could simply be mean or offensive comments posted about you that make you feel bad.
  • What should you do?
  • Ignore the person. Often times the easiest thing to do is to turn the other way and go about your business. 
  • Block or delete them from your “friends list”.
  • Log-off if the harassment is bothering you.
  • Talk to someone you trust.  If you don’t feel comfortable speaking with a parent, seek out other adults or authorities like a teacher, coach school counselor, youth group leader, or other adult family member such as an aunt or uncle. 

How to approach your parents or other adults about Cyberbullying:

  • Talk about how you feel about the harassment.  Do you feel hurt? Scared? Threatened?
  • Be clear about what is going on so that the adult can understand what you are saying and be able to best support you.
  • Here is an example of a way you might open the conversation:  “Mom/Dad, I want to talk to you about something that happened to me online the other day.  It’s kind of hard for me to talk about…and if I tell you what happened, I don’t you to take away my Internet privileges…so, anyways, here is what happened…” 

If you ever believe that a FreshBrain Member is acting contrary to our the FreshBrain Terms of Use, has violated the law or is threatening or endangering you, herself or himself or a third party, we urge you to immediately contact the appropriate law enforcement authorities directly for help.

In accordance with the FreshBrain Privacy Policy, we will cooperate with any law enforcement officials or court order requesting or directing us to disclose the identity of anyone violating our rules or policies.

For more information on Cyberbullying, you can visit the following resources:

Cyberbully411: http://www.cyberbully411.com/
Internet Solutions for Kids: http://www.isolutions4kids.org/
National Crime Prevention Council: http://www.ncpc.org/newsroom/current-campaigns/cyberbullying