While social media can be used for great purposes, there are also people who use social media for nefarious purposes. And although anyone can become a victim to these kinds of tricks and traps, the elderly are often more vulnerable to these kinds of things simply because of their inexperience with them. But luckily, there are things that you can do to help your elderly loved ones stay safe online.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three things to teach your elderly loved ones about staying safe on social media.
Keep Their Privacy Settings Tight
One of the first and best things that can be done to help anyone stay safe on social media is to have the right privacy settings in place.
On most social platforms, there are settings so that the only people who can interact with them or see the information that they are posting are ones that they have already become friends with. With this privacy setting in place, your elderly loved ones can hopefully avoid coming into contact with people who are only online to take advantage of others.
If you are able to put this privacy setting in place for your elderly loved ones, advise them to only accept friends who they already know. This way, they won’t be opening themselves up to unknown threats.
Don’t Share Too Much Information
The information that people share online can easily be used against them by people who are seeking to take advantage of others. For example, if your elderly loved ones post that they are taking a trip or are out of their home for some reason or another, nefarious people could use this information to know that their home is empty and ripe for the picking.
With this in mind, advise your elderly loved ones not to post about being out of the house until they are back home. Even if they are just visiting a friend in their assisted living facility, not giving too much information to their friends or followers online will only serve to better protect them.
Teach Them How To Spot Scams
All kinds of scams can and do take place on social media. And while these things are ever changing and evolving, there are certain principles about online scams that you can and should teach your elderly loved ones to be on the lookout for.
As a good rule of thumb, advise your elderly loved ones never to send anyone money, gift cards, or their banking information when it’s solicited online. And if they get a notice from a person or business that they recognize asking for payment or information about them, advise them to call that person or business to double-check on the request.
If you want to help your elderly loved ones to stay safe when on social media, consider using the tips mentioned above to guide them in this world.
