Tips for using social media safely Reducing your screen time each day is a great way to improve your relationship with social media and curb its negative impacts.

Here are some suggestions for cutting back: Set your phone to limit the time you spend on social media apps (check the settings) Designate social media hours Unfriend any friends or followers whose accounts make you feel bad Fill your life with people or activities that bring you joy outside of social media, and elevate the time you spend with old friends or activities that are good for your mental health.

This, too, could result in decreased screen time. Seek out things outside of your smartphone that bring you fulfilment. Hiking, picnicking with friends, painting, pickleball, reading, walking the dog, etc. Things you enjoy doing can also be good for your physical and mental health. Your social media relationship is personal. Use time to contemplate social media usage and how that affects you. Efforts to curtail your screen time — or improve the quality of your relationship with your phone — could confer mental health benefits. It can be tricky to know when to reach out to a professional. If you or someone you know is seriously struggling with a mental health issue, reach out to your health care provider to discuss treatment options for anxiety, depression or other issues.

Social media challenges might be a fun way to connect, create memories and even raise awareness for causes. However, as these trends grow in popularity, so, too, does the pressure to take part in them, often without regard for the risks they may entail. Whether you’re a teen, a parent or simply a person navigating the online world, it’s important to know how to safely handle challenges on social media. In this guide, we’ll cover the steps you can take to get involved responsibly, avoid pitfalls and ensure your digital experience stays positive.

THE VERY FIRST STEP — UNDERSTAND WHAT THE CHALLENGE IS FOR

Understanding the origin and purpose of a social media challenge before participating may be helpful. Some challenges are for worthy causes, such as raising money for a charity or encouraging healthy behaviours. But the other ones may be trivial, harmful or even dangerous. Analysing the intention behind a challenge will allow you to determine if it actually aligns with your beliefs or personal goals.

Examples: “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” raised millions for ALS research, while other challenges (i.e. “Tide Pod Challenge”) were dangerous and persistent to harmful behaviour.

Evaluate Potential Risks

It’s all too easy to get caught in a rush of new, trending challenge, but it’s important to assess any potential dangers beforehand. Ask yourself these questions:

Is this going to hurt me or someone else?

Is it against some law or community guideline?

Could it pasta negatively impact my digital reputation?

Treating these concerns with consideration can save you from the unanticipated side effects of your actions, whether they are physical injuries or social ostracism.

Example: During the “Milk Crate Challenge,” many attempted to balance on a structure of milk crates, resulting in severe injuries, highlighting the need to assess risks before engaging in a challenge.

2. Check the Privacy Implications

When you share something online, you are exposing aspects of your life to potentially a very large audience. (Audience members can include not just friends, but also strangers or potential employers.) Be sure to review your privacy settings before participating in a challenge, particularly in the case of challenges that require people to share personal information, their location or videos of other people.”

Tips:

Do not disclose personal information, such as where you live or go to school.

If someone will appear in your video, be sure he or she has agreed to be filmed.

Check your privacy settings and ensure you’re not too exposed.

Be Mindful of Peer Pressure

Social media challenges are often taken up as a result of peer pressure, particularly among adolescent users. However, if you feel pressured to participate, but are not comfortable, remember that it’s OK to say no. You don’t need to jeopardize your safety or principles to belong or be validated.

Strategies:

Give yourself time to decide if participating is right for you.

If you do feel pressured, talk to a friend you can trust or an adult for advice.

Keep in mind that true relationships are built in person and over time and are contained within more than a few seconds of souls captured on film.

Offer Positive, Safe Alternatives to Avoid Conflict

Should a trending challenge appear unsafe, it could be wise to create (or join) alternatives that are light-hearted with zero risk. A lot of social media users are anticipating good stuff, so you might as well lead the way and start a trend toward kindness or creativity or even learning a new skill — and there’s your content for journal maintaining effort!

Examples of Safe Challenges:

Book Challenge: 5 Books that Changed Me — and You.

Do One Good Thing Challenge: Share a way you performed a random act of kindness and encourage others to spread the love.

Skill Swap Challenge: Teach or show a skill, such as a recipe or a workout move, and challenge others to return the favour.

Report Harmful Challenges

If you see a challenge that you believe encourages negative behaviours, please report it on the platform. Many social media apps have community standards that do not allow dangerous and violent content and reporting these challenges can prevent others from getting injured.”

Teach Young Users How to Participate Safely

The challenges spread among social media users, particularly its younger demographic, some of whom may be unaware of the risks they entail. If you’re a parent, older sibling or mentor, discuss online safety and critical thinking about the content that younger users see.

Tips for Parents and Caregivers:

Schedule a regular check-in to discuss what’s trending on social media.

Foster open dialogue so that they are comfortable to ask questions.

Teach them how to distinguish between safe and unsafe challenges.

Digital Footprint Matters: Have You Forgotten?

Keep in mind that everything you put up online is adding to your digital footprint, and is available for potential employers, schools and others of significance in your life to view. Consider carefully how you want to engage with social media challenges to support a positive management of your online reputation.

Final Thoughts

Social media challenges have long been a staple of online culture, and when done responsibly, can be fun and even beneficial. However, by carefully considering each trend, as well as your own comfort, safety, and privacy, you can participate in the joys of social media challenges without sacrificing your well-being. So, the next time you encounter something new that all the cool kids seem to be doing, take a breath, evaluate and make a decision that protects you and others — safety first, always.