Facebook unveils ways parents and children can practice together at home.

February 9th marks Safer Internet Day, a day celebrated by over 100 countries around the world to promote a safe and healthy internet environment. With smartphone ownership rates dropping and concerns about cyberbullying and harassment on social media growing, Facebook has released five tips for safe internet use that parents and children can practice together at home.

1. Set some rules before your child uses their first mobile device.

When children first begin using mobile devices, parents often worry about their children becoming overly addicted to them. Therefore, it's helpful to establish appropriate rules for their children's use before handing them a device. For example, rules regarding online time, such as "No texting after 10 p.m." or "No social media after 10 p.m.," can help prevent excessive internet use. It's important to remember that these rules should be established through conversation with your child, not imposed by parents. Parents should also be encouraged to participate in following these rules.

2. Smart parents who communicate with their children online

If your child has started using social media, it's an opportunity for parents to become "cool" mothers and fathers by joining Facebook or Instagram and interacting with them. However, monitoring or censoring their children's social media activity can diminish that "coolness." It's important for parents to proactively share their daily lives and demonstrate their use of social media, connecting with others.

3. Questions to consider before posting

It's easy to get caught up in the moment and post something on social media that you find amusing, even if it's a bit provocative. However, keep in mind that your words can hurt others or even backfire on you. Before posting, consider things like, "Do I really want people to see this? Could someone exploit my post to harm me or defame me? Could others be offended by my content? What's the worst-case scenario if I share it?"

Because any information I post could be shared in ways I didn't intend. For children, it's a good idea to ask yourself if it's okay to share your post with the entire school, and for parents, it's okay to share your post with people at work.

4. Be careful about who you share with, and only accept friends who you know.

When sharing posts, photos, or links on Facebook, always make sure you clearly select an audience. When uploading photos or videos, it's especially wise to carefully consider whether you want to make them "public" or only share them with "friends." Furthermore, Facebook also has a feature that allows you to share posts with specific individuals or groups of friends, so take advantage of it. When receiving friend requests, it's best to only accept requests from people you know.

5. Create a safe online environment through reporting.

If you encounter abusive content on your own or someone else's profile page on Facebook, you can report it. For example, hate speech, depictions of violence, and harassment are not permitted, and reporting such content will result in its removal. You can also report inappropriate pages, groups, events, or fake or impersonating profiles. Reports are anonymous, so no one will be able to identify you.

Facebook is committed to providing a safe service for everyone and developing products, policies, and educational programs to foster a healthy online environment. However, for these tools and rules to function effectively, user participation and responsible behavior are paramount. In celebration of Safer Internet Day, let's join in on small actions to create a more enjoyable and safe online culture.