​​​​​​Building awareness of potentially dangerous situations is the first step in protecting yourself.
- Cybersecurity: there might be a targeted attack directed towards you where a person poses as someone else and presents something that seems too good to be true or something that seems like an urgent matter, trying to get you to act in a way that endangers the safety of your computer, phone, or financial accounts. When you have an email, text, or phone call that you are not expecting and seems unusual, ask a trusted adult to help you determine if it is real and what your action should be. Until you review the item with your trusted adult, do not click on any links or open any attachments. If you have already accidentally opened something or clicked on something, tell a trusted adult right away. Mistakes happen, it is better to own up to them rather than hide them or hope they go away.
- Sextortion: there could be times when someone will ask you to do things such as sending nude photos or performing a sexual act online as a part of proving your love to them or to blackmail you. This person may say things like, “If you really loved me, you would send me this photo or do this sexual act." Or they may say something like, “Send me a photo or do this sexual act or I will share your secret with everyone you know." Or even say something like, “Send me a photo or do this sexual act or I will hurt your family." No matter what kind of threat you are receiving, remember you can say no. You can reach out for help from a trusted adult in your life or call our hotline. If you have already sent or did something that you regret, give yourself grace and remind yourself that others have fallen into making these mistakes as well. The important thing is to take the next step, admit what happened, and get a trusted adult to help you to figure out what to do next.
- Pornography: there are many areas of the internet, books, movies, or magazines that show sexually explicit pictures or talk about things in a sexually explicit manner. Staying away from this type of information is best for your mental health. Studies have shown viewing pornography may become compulsive once the person starts to engage with it. When this happens, it can impact your ability to care for yourself and may impact your ability to engage in healthy relationships. Establish a personal boundary that protects you from this type of information such as making a promise to yourself that you will not look at or read it. If you are already compulsively watching pornography, tell a trusted adult so they can help you find help.
No matter what type of behaviors you might have encountered or engaged in, remember there is help. Others have faced the same types of mistakes and situations that you may be facing. They know how sort out things and find a way through it.
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