Why it matters
Any public platform where you share personal content with other people, whether you know them or not, falls under the umbrella of social media. There's Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube – and new platforms are springing up all the time. Almost everybody is using some kind of social media these days. It might be a way a way of life for many people, but like anything else online, it's not without its risks.
The risks
While social media can be great for lots of things, it can also increase the risk of:
- privacy issues – if you're not careful about who can see your posts, you could be the target of:
- unauthorised access of your accounts
- data theft
- identity theft
- scams and fraud
- cyberbullying or harassment
- online abuse of children and adolescents.