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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the use of social media due to the stay-at-home policy. People have found it essential to use social media to increase interaction since they cannot actively engage others. There has also been an increase in the number of students using social media because now students are required to engage in online learning (Gelms, 2021). The increase in social media use has also increased the vulnerability of its users. As such, it is essential to develop ways in which social media users can be protected. 

It is evident that one of the ways to ensure social media safety is by having a good offence rather than a defence. Since most people are using social media today, it is best to implement measures that can be utilised to make the interactions on the platforms intuitive (Malik, 2020). There should be active conversations to ensure the best results when using social media, such as how to prevent access to your accounts, how to identify individuals to interact with, and the appropriate times to post. The conversations should also engage students because they are now actively involved in using social media platforms and the internet. The students should be educated on the appropriate ways to engage others so that there can be mutual respect. 

There should also be education on the issue of digital footprints. It is evident that online content, to some extent, is permanent, and as a result, there should be an engagement to ensure individuals are aware of what is at risk. Besides, students should be engaged to ensure they can cover their digital footprints. The use of sites such as Common Sense Media ensures that digital users receive lessons and resources that can help uncover the issues about social media for both adults and children (Gelms, 2021). It is essential to develop students’ digital literacy skills because it will help them develop the appropriate frameworks to wisely utilise the various social media platforms and ensure their safety. 

When it comes to the issue of students using social media platforms, there should be measures implemented to ensure their safety. One legislation that was implemented to ensure the safety of children using the internet and social media is the Children’s Internet Protection Act passed in 2000 and later amended in 2011 (Grygiel & Brown, 2019). Through the legislation, it has been possible to implement filters to protect students at school and home. However, not most parents are aware of how to implement these filters, and this may create a challenge when trying to protect children. The implementation of these filters ensures students do not access inappropriate content when they are using the internet. Though the filters may not be able to catch all the inappropriate content on social media sites and other websites, they significantly reduce the amount of harmful content available to children. Most internet service providers have these filters available such as Chrome, Google, Yahoo, Firefox, and Safari. 

References

Gelms, B. (2021). Social media research and the methodological problem of harassment: Foregrounding researcher safety. Computers and Composition, 59, 102626. 

Grygiel, J., & Brown, N. (2019). Are social media companies motivated to be good corporate citizens? Examination of the connection between corporate social responsibility and social media safety. Telecommunications policy, 43(5), 445-460. 

Malik, S. (2020). Artificial intelligence for social media safety and security. International Engineering Journal For Research & Development, 5(5), 5-5.