Narrator: Using social media can be fun, but knowing all of the online social rules may be confusing. When we share a picture of our friends on social media, we should stop to think about how they will feel about others seeing it. As soon as we post anything online, it becomes public. Our friends may not want you to share certain photos of them online. If we are worried that others may feel upset, we should ask their permission before we post. 

To help us know what to do and what not to do, we can use our cyber skills. Our cyber skills for posting photos on social media include: (1) we always know the people we’re sharing with so we stay safe; (2) we stop to think about how it will make others feel before we post anything; (3) if we aren’t sure if it will make others upset, we should ask for their permission first.

Let’s see how Rachel feels when Alessandra posts a photo that they took in private.

Rachel: What do you want to do tonight?

Alessandra: I don’t know. We can just hang out and watch TV.

Rachel: Okay. Did you see these pictures from Sara’s vacation?

Alessandra: Yeah, I did. I’m so jealous. Hey, we can take pictures, too.

Rachel: Yeah.  Let’s take some. Oh my god. I look so weird!

Alessandra: Yeah, we both look crazy.

Rachel: Hey, do you want some snacks?

Alessandra: Yeah. Sure.

Rachel: Why did you post this picture of us? Everyone is commenting, and I look so bad!

Alessandra: Why are you so upset? It’s funny.

Rachel: No. It was funny when it was just the two of us messing around. I didn’t want everyone to see this.

Narrator: How did posting this picture made Rachel feel? Let’s see what they’re both thinking.

Rachel: (internal thought) Why would Alessandra post that picture? I look so bad in it. We were just joking around when we took that picture and I didn’t want a lot of people to see it.

Alessandra: Why was Rachel so upset? We were just being silly. I don’t care if I look bad in a picture. 

Narrator: Alessandra didn’t think about how Rachel would feel before she posted their silly picture on social media. They took the picture in private but once it was posted, it became public. Rachel didn’t want anyone to see the photo. When she saw it online, she felt upset and embarrassed because she cares if others see her looking silly or bad in a picture. Alessandra didn’t care if she looked silly, but she needed to put herself in Rachel’s shoes before posting.

Remember, before making information about others public, we should think about how it will make them feel. If it could upset them, we should not post it. If we aren’t sure, we should ask their permission to make sure they would feel comfortable.

Let’s watch what happens when Alessandra does remember to use her cyber skills.

Rachel: What do you want to do tonight?

Alessandra: I don’t know. We can just hang out and watch TV.

Rachel: Okay. Did you see these pictures from Sara’s vacation?

Alessandra: Yeah, I did. I’m so jealous. Hey, we can take pictures too.

Rachel: Yeah.  Let’s take some. Oh my god. I look so weird!

Alessandra: Yeah, we both look crazy!

Rachel: Hey, do you want some snacks?

Alessandra: Yeah. Sure.

Alessandra: (inner thought) This is so funny! I want to post it so everyone can see how funny we are. But… we look really weird. I don’t care if others see it. But Rachel might not want everyone to see her making these weird faces. I should ask her permission before I post it.

Alessandra: (out loud) Look at our picture. It’s so funny. Can I post it?

Rachel: No, no, no, no, no… Please don’t. I look so bad. Can we take another one that we both like?

Alessandra: Sure.

Rachel: Okay, that one is so much better. You can post it.

Alessandra: Okay.

Narrator: Before we share a picture on social media, we need to stop and think about how it will make other people feel. If we aren’t sure if it will upset them, we should ask them for their permission first. That way, we won’t hurt anyone’s feelings or make them feel uncomfortable.

So, what did we learn? Our cyber skills for posting photos on social media include: (1) we always know the people we’re sharing with so we stay safe; (2) we stop to think about how it will make others feel before we post anything; (3) if we aren’t sure if it will make others upset, we should ask for their permission first.