Be a Kid.

patbaer:

I’ve been on the internet since 93. I grew up on it.

Things were weird and fucked up for kids online in the 90s, and they’re so much worse now. And so, I write the following. If you have a younger brother or sister, if you have friends who do, if you’re a kid who finds this… please read it.

Don’t use your real name, anywhere, until you’re at least 18.

Don’t put your real name, age, email address, phone number, etc ANYWHERE.

If you HAVE to use Facebook, Photobucket, YouTube: make that stuff private, and KNOW who you’re befriending.

Stay away from any and all chans. And stickam. And Chatroulette. 

Turn off your webcam, and keep it off.

Don’t take your clothes off for anyone. Don’t film yourself or photograph yourself because someone tells you to. It won’t make you feel good or make you belong or prove anything to anyone.

People on the internet are weird and messed up and don’t care about you. They’re not your friends.

If you have to be on weird corners of the internet, for God’s sake, be anonymous. Be a lurker if you have to.

If people you’ve never met before are cruel to you, if they go out of their way to try and hurt you, do your very best to ignore it. Once they feel like they won, they’ll move on to make someone else feel terrible. Fighting back will only make it worse.

The internet is awful and wonderful at the same time. It’ll take you a while to find the fun in it.

Be a kid. Being a kid is awesome.



Reblog, reblog, reblog, reblog, Facebook, tweet, digg, whatever. Spread it like wildfire.

Source: patbaer

59 Notes/ Hide

  1. mexicutioner138 reblogged this from patbaer
  2. tollana reblogged this from patbaer
  3. demonologist reblogged this from richsommer
  4. whowillwatchmytv reblogged this from patbaer
  5. lizzwestman reblogged this from richsommer
  6. serenechaos reblogged this from patbaer and added:
    Reblog, reblog, reblog, reblog, Facebook, tweet, digg, whatever. Spread
  7. latenightdrive reblogged this from go-quietly
  8. go-quietly reblogged this from patbaer
  9. ecaloshay reblogged this from richsommer and added:
    Read this and do what the post says. And the webcam thing applies to your mobile phone, and the sharing stuff also...
  10. fondledsweaters-archive reblogged this from amyohconnor
  11. poupak reblogged this from patbaer and added:
    kids/teenagers - faut lire ca aux enfants/ados…
  12. dressesdancingandtv reblogged this from patbaer and added:
    wish I could give all of this advice to my 13-year-old self who in 1999 was all “HAY INTERNET HAY!”
  13. movieswiththelightson reblogged this from richsommer and added:
    Applicable to a lot of people I follow and who follow me probably. You know it all anyway I reckon though.