You Kids and Your Lack of Internet Safety

not trying to be mean, just trying to be helpful. here's some tips coming from a 23 yr old who messed up a lot along the way online.

• you do not have to list your exact age or location. saying "i'm a minor. my timezone is EST" is more than enough. there's nothing wrong with being honest about your age, that's actually a good thing IMO, but you don't have to get specific if you don't feel comfortable doing so. and as far as location goes, we should all know by now why saying "i'm from Eastern Kentucky" might get you in an unsafe situation as opposed to just "USA" or even "Kentucky"
• remember anyone can see what you post. you can put whatever you want in your "Do Not Interact", but you have to remember that people wishing to do you harm can also just ignore it and pretend they're someone you would want to be around. not everyone is acting in good faith.
• do not make NSFW posts, period. look, i know you know more about these topics than your parents probably did at the age you are now. that's okay, but you have to remember that nothing really disappears on the internet. you have to remember that things that are "private" online sometimes do not stay private. protect yourself and at LEAST keep posts age appropriate, IDC what you talk about with friends your age on Discord.
• do not list your triggers online. i know you want people to tag posts that may upset you. you want warnings for content that can be distressing. that makes sense. however, publicly listing triggers is a surefire way to give anyone who doesn't like you a guide on how to target and harass you. please don't do this.

there's likely more we could say here, but it's 2 AM. just thinking about all the posts we've been seeing from kids on here and it's starting to worry us a lot. please be safe out there, and if things start to get overwhelming, know when to take a break or talk to someone you trust about it. we wish you the best.