Facebook Gives Privacy Tips to Kids with New Youth Portal

Facebook, the social network at the center of privacy concerns, is offering privacy tips to children through their new youth portal.

The portal, which Facebook described as “your guide to all things Facebook: general tips, insider tricks, privacy and safety information, and everything else you need to have a great experience on Facebook,” offers several tips related to privacy, including, “Think (for five seconds) before you speak,” “Don’t let strangers hang out in your room,” and “Don’t give out personal information to someone you’ve just met.”

“Before you post publicly, pause and ask yourself, ‘Would I feel comfortable reading this out loud to my parents and grandparents?’ There will always be people at your school who are social media oversharers (and adults in your life who are, too). Resist the urge, ignore their noise and save the juicy details for your close friends only,” Facebook advised. “Be aware of who you’ve allowed to enter your space, and who you’re allowing to continue to spend time there. Check your Friends list regularly to make sure that you’re OK with who’s looking at your content. Accept friend requests from people you know, carefully vet anyone else who knocks at your door and unfriend anyone who has overstayed their welcome.”

“You know this, but it bears repeating: don’t share your password with anyone. Not your friends, not the person you’re dating. It is never, ever worth it,” the company continued, adding, “As your friends list grows, revisit your privacy settings regularly to make sure that the information you are keeping private and public still feels good to you.”

On the youth portal, Facebook also advises children against sharing their location and being “foolish,” and encourages the to “trust your instincts” and “be an ally.”

Facebook is currently at the center of privacy concerns, and in March, a poll showed that the majority of Facebook users were “likely to quit” the platform.

In the same month, a former Obama staffer revealed how they were able to pull large amounts of user data from the social network, while the Federal Trade Commission announced an investigation into Facebook.

Last month, it was reported that nearly one in ten Americans had deleted their Facebook accounts following privacy concerns.

In January, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that he didn’t want his nephew to use social media. Cook said, “I don’t have a kid, but I have a nephew that I put some boundaries on. There are some things that I won’t allow; I don’t want them on a social network.”