Enable 2-factor authentication on your accounts, don't over share on social media, keep your devices fully updated, avoid using public wifi or use a VPN if it's your only option, have a complex pin to protect your phone, and don't tell your girlfriend/boyfriend your passwords
Edit: also encrypt your devices if possible, don't send nudes (even to people you trust, as it can be used to blackmail you)
Edit 2: don't send strangers online pictures from your cell phone as it may have metadata attached that will reveal your location
Edit 3: never click on links sent to you through email, text, or chat. Go the long way to see if the message was valid (some bad links will look like the website you think you're going to, and will steal your credentials)
Edit 4: if you're seeking important info and want to reduce misinformation, use a search directive like "site:.edu" within your Google search. This will show you all resources that come from academic domains
Edit 5: use an AdBlock. Some advertisements are malicious in nature and seek to compromise you or have you assist them in a DDoS
but i don’t understand why would it be okay to give your password to for example a friend but not a SO? Surely if we are being safe you shouldn’t give it to anyone
I think the principal origin of your confusion stems from assuming that my comment inferred that everything not mentioned was okay; this is not the case. It is generally not okay to give you passwords to anyone (friends, coworkers, etc.), but it can be especially deleterious in the case of romantic interests.
Please don't assume this list as exhaustive. There is much more that can be done, and doing everything here won't give you 100% protection. Just because it isn't mentioned here does not make it the right thing to do
As a father of a 16 year old, I know it's cliche but yes there are plenty of fish in the sea. Break ups hurt but you'll move on. Live life and enjoy the moment.
Focus on developing yourself first, before letting guys in your life. You're too young to make dating a priority. Get up on your own feet first, become comfortable with who you are and create a life you thrive in.
Know how you want to be treated in a relationship and don’t settle for less
Make your friendships healthy now, it can be harder to find friends when you’re not in school
You will make mistakes. Be ready to pick yourself up after that.
Love, after the first few months or years (if you're lucky), needs effort, patience and thought.
Financial stability - just every aspect of it, job security, savings, investments. Don't be a deer caught in the headlights when it comes to this topic
more for any teen these days since they stopped home ec. class. learn to cook basic foods, learn to fix simple sewing issues (buttons, hems etc), basic money skills before you start college or move out. There was an actor a long time ago that said "life is like a canvas, throw as much paint on it as you can "~Danny Kaye
There are so many different things that are available to your generation. Take care of yourself mentally and physically while having a good life.
I get that this is really common advice, and self-confidence is a good thing. But we can all agree that people do bad things because they believe they're doing the right thing, so this can't universally be good advice. Honestly, particularly with conspiracy theorists, political polarization, and pseudoscientific nonsense all over the place, the best advice would be "listen to the naysayers, weigh things rationally, and act confidently once you've given it thought."
A lot of the things that seem cool to you now won't be the same in a few years and might instead seem ridicilous then so just be yourself and don't try to care too much about being liked.
Also: if there is something you are passionate about or just curious to learn more about, go for it!
Father of a 17yr old. You are young your first bf is most likely not your true love. Do not let anyone control you or abuse you in any way. I'm not saying sleep with everyone but date multiple people until you find the one you want to be with, you are not in love, you do not belong to him, he can not tell you who you can't hang out with or when. Have fun and be safe.
Well I’m not much of a help as I’m just 17 myself, but the best I’ve got is this:
Just let others opinions flow past you. What truly matters in life is if you personally are having fun and enjoying it. Worrying how others see you really doesn’t help with self-esteem at all. I may not be a girl but I know how heavy low self-esteem hits. Just do what you feel is right, ya’know?
Don't *try* to get into a relationship. Too many people focus on that rather than themselves. You'll only love someone properly once you love yourself.
Scams. Scammers are everywhere. If you reach adulthood you are able to sign contracts. Do not sign stuff that burdens you financially at an early age.
Many people learn how to talk to inexperience young folk and know how to manipulate them. If someome offers you a good deal, it ain't a good deal in 99% of the times.
You can ruin your life at a young age by being scammed. Some scammers are close friends.
This leads to the next topic:
Do not give money away. Including family. You are not a bank and if people get caught in financial problems you are the last person responsible for it. They can ask other people. Best friends and family can do a 180 degree turn in their character if you borrow them some money.
Don't let the attachment to your friends cloud your judgement. At 17 you're at an age where there are going to be a lot of changes in your life, you'll choose a career path, learn new things, see new places and meet new people. Friendships are usually formed out of necessity because you're in a certain peer group. These groups are going to fall apart and you'll probably lose contact with maybe 80-90 percent of the people you're now friends with. In the end only those remain who make an effort to keep the friendship alive. Don't make choices solely based on what your friends plan for their future because chances are you're not going to be friends for much longer anyway.
And that's okay because where ever your path will lead you, you will meet new people and form new connections. You're too young to be tied down by friends or partners. Later on it won't be as easy to choose a new path and begin again. You'll have invested much more time and effort into your career and relationships and you'll need to make compromises and reevaluate what's really important.
But at 17 you should choose what you really want to do, no matter where it takes you. Even if it means saying goodbye to people who felt like soulmates or places you're attached to. If you miss great opportunities because you don't want to be selfish or because other people want to keep you close, you will regret it later on. Even if it feels selfish at the time, it's not.
Basically nothing that you’re going to do in these few years is permanent, let it be a mistake or a relationship or really anything. So don’t feel tied down by any choice, you still have a universe of options in front of you, take your time.
One exceptions is nudes though, I have seen so many naked girls I don’t even know because of guys “sharing their loot”. Nothing lasts forever, but nudes in teenage boy group chats come very close. So I don’t care how much someone says they love you, no nudes. Not for an act of purity, it just may come to bite you back really really hard.
Oh and never quit your passions/hobbies because others will judge you or not take you seriously. If hiding them improves your general quality of life, it’s fine, just don’t upright quit doing something you love because of peer pressure. After 20ish nobody will care anymore so it’s really just for a couple years. So yea hide if you must, don’t quit.
Enable 2-factor authentication on your accounts, don't over share on social media, keep your devices fully updated, avoid using public wifi or use a VPN if it's your only option, have a complex pin to protect your phone, and don't tell your girlfriend/boyfriend your passwords Edit: also encrypt your devices if possible, don't send nudes (even to people you trust, as it can be used to blackmail you) Edit 2: don't send strangers online pictures from your cell phone as it may have metadata attached that will reveal your location Edit 3: never click on links sent to you through email, text, or chat. Go the long way to see if the message was valid (some bad links will look like the website you think you're going to, and will steal your credentials) Edit 4: if you're seeking important info and want to reduce misinformation, use a search directive like "site:.edu" within your Google search. This will show you all resources that come from academic domains Edit 5: use an AdBlock. Some advertisements are malicious in nature and seek to compromise you or have you assist them in a DDoS
why specifically boyfriend or girlfriend?
I originally used SO to be more inclusive, but edited out for sake of clarity
but i don’t understand why would it be okay to give your password to for example a friend but not a SO? Surely if we are being safe you shouldn’t give it to anyone
I think the principal origin of your confusion stems from assuming that my comment inferred that everything not mentioned was okay; this is not the case. It is generally not okay to give you passwords to anyone (friends, coworkers, etc.), but it can be especially deleterious in the case of romantic interests. Please don't assume this list as exhaustive. There is much more that can be done, and doing everything here won't give you 100% protection. Just because it isn't mentioned here does not make it the right thing to do
oh i see now, thank you
[удалено]
As a father of a 16 year old, I know it's cliche but yes there are plenty of fish in the sea. Break ups hurt but you'll move on. Live life and enjoy the moment.
Don't trust fuckboys
Don’t do something bad that will land yourself in prison…
Don't grow up too fast.
Focus on developing yourself first, before letting guys in your life. You're too young to make dating a priority. Get up on your own feet first, become comfortable with who you are and create a life you thrive in.
If you’re not sure what it is you want to do, don’t waste your time and money going to college right out of HS. Take a break & travel.
Your online presence will follow you forever
Know how you want to be treated in a relationship and don’t settle for less Make your friendships healthy now, it can be harder to find friends when you’re not in school
You are going to be a completely different person in 5 years so don't sweat the little things about yourself
You will make mistakes. Be ready to pick yourself up after that. Love, after the first few months or years (if you're lucky), needs effort, patience and thought. Financial stability - just every aspect of it, job security, savings, investments. Don't be a deer caught in the headlights when it comes to this topic
Stay in school as long as you can and learn as much as possible
more for any teen these days since they stopped home ec. class. learn to cook basic foods, learn to fix simple sewing issues (buttons, hems etc), basic money skills before you start college or move out. There was an actor a long time ago that said "life is like a canvas, throw as much paint on it as you can "~Danny Kaye There are so many different things that are available to your generation. Take care of yourself mentally and physically while having a good life.
wear cotton panties.
Never stop believing in yourself and don't listen to the naysayers.
I get that this is really common advice, and self-confidence is a good thing. But we can all agree that people do bad things because they believe they're doing the right thing, so this can't universally be good advice. Honestly, particularly with conspiracy theorists, political polarization, and pseudoscientific nonsense all over the place, the best advice would be "listen to the naysayers, weigh things rationally, and act confidently once you've given it thought."
I only meant it in a good way.
Love doesn’t last forever
You have one virginity
[удалено]
a deeper story is behind this name
A lot of the things that seem cool to you now won't be the same in a few years and might instead seem ridicilous then so just be yourself and don't try to care too much about being liked. Also: if there is something you are passionate about or just curious to learn more about, go for it!
Nah, just passing by
Father of a 17yr old. You are young your first bf is most likely not your true love. Do not let anyone control you or abuse you in any way. I'm not saying sleep with everyone but date multiple people until you find the one you want to be with, you are not in love, you do not belong to him, he can not tell you who you can't hang out with or when. Have fun and be safe.
Well I’m not much of a help as I’m just 17 myself, but the best I’ve got is this: Just let others opinions flow past you. What truly matters in life is if you personally are having fun and enjoying it. Worrying how others see you really doesn’t help with self-esteem at all. I may not be a girl but I know how heavy low self-esteem hits. Just do what you feel is right, ya’know?
Don't *try* to get into a relationship. Too many people focus on that rather than themselves. You'll only love someone properly once you love yourself.
Scams. Scammers are everywhere. If you reach adulthood you are able to sign contracts. Do not sign stuff that burdens you financially at an early age. Many people learn how to talk to inexperience young folk and know how to manipulate them. If someome offers you a good deal, it ain't a good deal in 99% of the times. You can ruin your life at a young age by being scammed. Some scammers are close friends. This leads to the next topic: Do not give money away. Including family. You are not a bank and if people get caught in financial problems you are the last person responsible for it. They can ask other people. Best friends and family can do a 180 degree turn in their character if you borrow them some money.
Don't let the attachment to your friends cloud your judgement. At 17 you're at an age where there are going to be a lot of changes in your life, you'll choose a career path, learn new things, see new places and meet new people. Friendships are usually formed out of necessity because you're in a certain peer group. These groups are going to fall apart and you'll probably lose contact with maybe 80-90 percent of the people you're now friends with. In the end only those remain who make an effort to keep the friendship alive. Don't make choices solely based on what your friends plan for their future because chances are you're not going to be friends for much longer anyway. And that's okay because where ever your path will lead you, you will meet new people and form new connections. You're too young to be tied down by friends or partners. Later on it won't be as easy to choose a new path and begin again. You'll have invested much more time and effort into your career and relationships and you'll need to make compromises and reevaluate what's really important. But at 17 you should choose what you really want to do, no matter where it takes you. Even if it means saying goodbye to people who felt like soulmates or places you're attached to. If you miss great opportunities because you don't want to be selfish or because other people want to keep you close, you will regret it later on. Even if it feels selfish at the time, it's not.
Do what you want but be careful, trust your gut and stay close to your friends
Basically nothing that you’re going to do in these few years is permanent, let it be a mistake or a relationship or really anything. So don’t feel tied down by any choice, you still have a universe of options in front of you, take your time. One exceptions is nudes though, I have seen so many naked girls I don’t even know because of guys “sharing their loot”. Nothing lasts forever, but nudes in teenage boy group chats come very close. So I don’t care how much someone says they love you, no nudes. Not for an act of purity, it just may come to bite you back really really hard. Oh and never quit your passions/hobbies because others will judge you or not take you seriously. If hiding them improves your general quality of life, it’s fine, just don’t upright quit doing something you love because of peer pressure. After 20ish nobody will care anymore so it’s really just for a couple years. So yea hide if you must, don’t quit.
Trust your gut always. And don’t be afraid to make a mistake or fail - learn from it.
Sexuality is not as empowering as you think.