Follow along for these tips for internet safety — directly from another horse-loving kid like you.
For those of us who don’t have in-person access to horses, the internet is a place of information and satisfaction for the part of our brains entirely devoted to horses. From horse games to forums and websites, there’s no end to the horsey entertainment and enlightenment online.
But with this blessing comes a curse: namely, people who search sites for naive users to steal their information to sell online, or worse. The danger of the web is part of why I first asked for a Young Rider subscription; my parents felt that paper materials were safer than allowing 10-year-old me to surf the web.
We can’t avoid using the internet, but we can be aware of the dangers and how to stay safe online so that we can enjoy our horse addiction without being exploited.
Tip #1: Safe Sharing
People can’t steal your information if you don’t share it! Of course, you can’t avoid sharing all your information, since some of it is done without your knowledge (such as your computer leaving an imprint on the sites you visit, or using cookies on certain sites), but you can put up safeguards so people can’t access your most important information.
Never share where you live, your email, or your phone number with strangers. It’s okay to tell someone your dog’s name or the titles of your favorite books, but your school, church, and address should never be given away.
Never post your picture online without your parents’ permission. There’s an entire industry of people who will steal real pictures, use AI to edit them, and sell the AI images with your face online. Don’t give them that chance!
What about sharing your age? This is a bit of a gray area. Personally, I don’t share my age publicly online; ultimately, this is a decision up to you and your parents.
But if someone online pressures you to share a picture of yourself or tell them where you live, immediately talk to one of your parents. People online might just be nosy—or they might be dangerous. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Tip #2: Safe Searching
Has the following ever happened to you? You’re enjoying yourself, looking up horsey sites for articles about a new topic you want to learn about, and then you click on a link to discover it’s not what you were looking for. It’s the farthest thing possible.
This has happened to me so many times, especially when searching for horse websites from books. Unfortunately, this isn’t completely avoidable, but there are some safeguards.
Talk to your parents about using a search engine that blocks bad websites. I use DuckDuckGo, but there are several different extensions and engines available.
Be specific about what you’re searching for. You’re more likely to get what you want with a search like “What is life like on a working ranch?” than just searching “cowgirls.”
Bookmark safe sites so you can return to them without needing to find them again. I keep folders containing just links to sites I want to reference later.
Be careful of websites that don’t use .com or .org on the end. While some URL endings may be because the website owners are in another country, often unconventional URL endings are used for scam sites. Just check in with a parent before you click the link.
Tip #3: Safe Supervision
I’m going to sound like a broken record, but please, please, please keep your parents in the loop about your internet activity. Regardless of what some people might say, they actually do know the internet better than you, and they can help you if you have a problem!
Trying to figure out what to do on your own is always much more difficult than having someone help you. The best way to stay safe online is to have accountability, so if you’re messaging someone and start to feel uncomfortable, talk to your parents. They can help you wisely navigate the situation.
Aware, Not Scared
The point of this article isn’t supposed to scare you out of ever using the internet. As a horseless horse-crazy girl, the internet is the main fuel for my horse obsession, and it’s also where I can connect with horse-crazy friends.
But this information is meant to make you aware of the dangers so that you can enjoy the abundance the web has to offer without getting hurt. Can we prevent all dangers? No. But we can be smart about what we use the internet for and who we contact. And we can let it spur us on to create more safe places for horse-crazy kids to hang out—that’s what I did with my website, Equine on the Mind!
So play those horse games, read those articles, and watch that funny video—just be sure that you’re being smart and keeping yourself safe while doing it.
This article about internet safety is a web exclusive for Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!
