Is having Instagram as dangerous as having Facebook?

[Caity]

Everyone says how having Facebook is dangerous coz of all the creeps on there but is Instagram just as dangerous??

[Smokies Hiker]

Any of the "social networks" can be dangerous. You don't know who you may actually be dealing with.

[Lee]

Having any social media account isn't dangerous in itself. What makes it dangerous is the people who use it irresponsibly.

Social media users (adults as well as kids) need to know that not everyone is nice. Problems arise when too much information is posted to an account that isn't set to Private or Friends Only. Even then, it's not good to give out hour by hour statuses, especially if you are away from home. If your accounts are open to the public, they can be seen by anyone, so someone could find where you live.

Facebook and Instagram users need to know what is appropriate and what is not. If you constantly post pictures of yourself, that can leave you open to someone coming to look for you. There are precautions that you can take, like keeping all accounts private and turning off your GPS feature if you are posting from your phone and never put your full address or place of employment in a profile. Also, never post nude or even provocative pictures anywhere on-line.

You need to think of the on-line world like you think of the real world....don't talk to strangers and know who your friends are.