By Alexa Miranda Fino Nunez

Overview

Imagine you are hanging out with your group of friends, and everything is going great, but during their hang out they want to post everything they are doing, including where they are in real-time, who is there, and private stuff you don’t feel comfortable sharing. What would you do? The smart choice is to say your concerns, but it is not always that easy right? 

In today’s age and time, it is always to be safe rather than sorry. There are a lot of things everyone should watch out for and know before doing anything related to social media. More than 90% of cyber-cause incidents are caused because of some type of human error. This means that cyberbullying, harassment, or even stalking of teenagers happens because someone shares information they shouldn’t have and ends up getting the wrong eyes and ears. 

Anyone today should know all the tips and tricks to avoid any major tragic events that could happen. Incidents such as phishing, cyberbullying, stalking, kidnapping, and extortion happen because of one post, one story, or one comment. The next victim could be you, your sister, or your parents. Don’t let this happen. Become educated about cyber security. Keep reading to learn about what are the most common cases of cyber crimes, how to avoid them, and how to have fun while doing so. Let’s break it down.

Common Cyber Crimes

First of all, what should you be scared of? What should you be watching out for?

Social media in no way is all bad, but you need to make sure to use it responsibly. Many minimal things should not be considered as dangerous to post, but unfortunately are. As of 2024, 46% of teenagers in the U.S. have experienced some type of cyberbullying. 21% of teenagers have been stalked or harassed in some way or shape. 16% of teenagers have received physical threats. The fact that many people don’t acknowledge this is concerning. Let’s dig more into these.  

Cyberbullying- Cyberbullying is no stranger to teenagers in the 21st century. Teenagers have grown around it, and know about it, but do they know the extent of it? The fact is, that almost half of all the teenagers in the United States have suffered through constant hateful comments, degrading speech, bullying, threats, or the sharing of personal information. Many teenagers react in many different ways. For example, some might decide to ignore it, or others to report it. Depending on the severity of each case, these may be right. 74% of those who report it have rated the social media platform’s ability to deal with the issue as ‘fair to poor’. 

Stalking & Harassment- Another common type of cybercrime is any form of stalking or harassment through social media platforms. Social media is a great way to socialize and connect with people, but make sure you don’t give it too much power. Don’t let social media rule you and let people destroy you through it. Stalking and harassment cases can be seen when someone reaches out to you consistently when they try to know where you are, when they collect multiple pictures, when they constantly message you in a negative way, and many more. It is important for teenagers to know how to set limits. 

This needs to stop today. The change starts with you. 

How To Stop It?

Now that we understand what are the many dangers of social media, what can teenagers do to protect themselves? Many underestimate a teenager’s ability by calling them reckless and irresponsible. Instead, the reality is that many are just not educated or informed about the topic. 

Protect your Privacy- A very straightforward way of not being targeted by cyber bullies is not giving them the power to! Most if not all social media platforms now have the option to make your account private. This is a very easy way of stopping any predators on the internet who just want to bring bad energy to you. 

Be Careful With What You Post- Even if you don’t suspect someone, and you accept them, you should always be mindful about what you post on the internet. Even if it’s cliche; once something goes on the internet, it stays there forever. You do not have the power over what people do with any images or information you put up once they see them. Even on Snapchat which has one of the strictest policies, people will always find loopholes, even more, so when they have a target on your back!

Do Not Engage!- Something you may have heard already, but if you engage back with predators, it makes it so they have more information about you, even if you don’t mean to give it out. The best way to deal with cyberbullies or predators is to Report, and Block them! Many platforms such as Instagram will block all accounts made by the same person as well, so it is relatively safer, but never 100%. 

Summing It Up!

Social Media is great in many ways, but it is also bad in many others. There are many threats all around the internet that you should watch out for. These include cyberbullying, harassment, stalking and threats. Whatever you share on the internet is power to cyberbullies or predators. You need to learn how to protect your privacy and safety. Some ways of doing that is making sure you don’t give predators access, being careful of what you have up on the internet and never engaging with the predators. 

Works Cited

Anderson, Monica. “A Majority of Teens Have Experienced Some Form of Cyberbullying.” Pew Research Center, 27 September 2018, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/09/27/a-majority-of-teens-have-experienced-some-form-of-cyberbullying/.

Joshua, Crissy. “Key Cyberbullying Statistics for 2025.” Avast, 25 August 2025, https://www.avast.com/c-cyberbullying-statistics.

Vigderman, Aliza. “Cyberbullying: Twenty Crucial Statistics for 2024.” Security.org, 09 October 2024, https://www.security.org/resources/cyberbullying-facts-statistics/.