5 Ways to Stay Safe Online
Let’s be real; the internet is full of cool people, funny memes, and rabbit holes you didn’t plan to fall into at 2 a.m. But mixed in with all that are some creeps who think sending “hey bby 😏” at midnight is a personality. Yeah, no thanks.
Here are 5 ways to spot the stalker and stay safe without turning your Wi-Fi off forever:
1. They reply too fast… every time.
Like, chill. Nobody is sitting with their phone taped to their hand 24/7. If someone replies instantly to everything you post, story, selfie, sneeze; that’s not cute, it’s clingy.
2. Oversharing detective vibes.
If they know your dog’s middle name, your mom’s job, and the café you “accidentally” tagged once, but you’ve barely talked, run. They’re not just curious; they’re gathering intel like it’s CSI.
3. Guilt-trippy messages.
“Why didn’t you reply?” or “I guess you don’t care about me 😔.” Excuse me? You’re not my boss, my parent, or my emotional support hamster. Red. Flag.
4. Fake profiles galore.
Three followers, no posts, and a username like CoolGuy_007? Yeah, Sherlock, that’s not your soulmate. That’s probably a burner account.
5. Crossing boundaries IRL.
If online weirdness turns into “I’ll just swing by your school”; that’s when you hit BLOCK faster than your phone auto-connects to Wi-Fi at Starbucks.
Bottom line is you don’t owe anyone your time, attention, or location. Protect your space, trust your gut, and remember ; the block button is free, unlimited, and works better than pepper spray online.
Let us know what you think about the post at friends@genwe.today.