Visiting social networking websites has become our daily "routine", especially for the younger generation. Social media enable us to connect with the world without meeting people in real life. Using social media wisely is essential to protect ourselves.

Although social media allow us to share information with people of different backgrounds, our personal data should be protected and not given away easily. Terms and conditions of data policy should be noted when signing up for social media websites. When setting up the profile and personal page, never should we neglect the privacy settings on who will have access to our page and page contents. These will safeguard our information from being stolen or misused.

Nevertheless, we must be a responsible netizen in the virtual world. We should not share unverified news or even disseminate false information. Attention should be paid to scaremongering and we should not trust everything we read without verifying the truth. Inappropriate contents with offensive and humiliating elements should not be spread but reported to website moderators. We should never turn a blind eye to cyber-bullying. If we came across illegal acts such as intimidation, violence and animal cruelty which we believe to have occurred in Hong Kong, we should report it to the police.

Using social media safely and wisely, we can vitalise our lives.

 

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