The Dark Side of Social Media

Social media is incredibly prominent in everyday life, especially for teenagers.  These apps have several positives such as, connecting with family and friends, easier communication, and overall pure enjoyment. But, these apps are also absurdly dangerous and give rise to the  possibility of hackers gaining access to your personal information.  Hackers tend to target younger age groups as they typically have weaker passwords and are more likely to give into their trap.  It is said that about 60% of teenagers’ phones are hacked per year, meaning that three out of five people per year are robbed of their personal information. The majority of the time, these hackers want to obtain some form of compensation through blackmail. They will blackmail these young teens through threats in hopes of getting what they want; money. Due to social media being incredibly prominent, especially among teens, these hackers are aware that there are certain things they can do to manipulate these young kids. Therefore, you must prepare for the dangers that come along with owning a cellphone. 

How to Prevent Hackers 

1. Create a strong password.
2. Change your password every couple of weeks or monthly.
3. Never have the same password for all of your apps.
4. Backup data from your phone. 
5. Do not keep personal information on your phone.
6. Get rid of all old or unused apps.