Many people say that being a good Christian is almost possible in this massively secular era. Temptations and distractions are everywhere. Technology is making everything a lot easier in terms of saving, making money, relationships, transport, and health and et cetera. Christians are heaven-oriented but they live, work and walk in the human world. Scientific research shows that currently, an individual spends 85% of his/her time on the internet. Every career nowadays is linked to the internet, even education courses are being done online using the internet. In modern cities, the internet is one of the basics needed to survive, neglecting its demand can result in scarcity in one way or another. Trading that includes all human needs and supplies is being done online. Banking services are available online. Living as a Christian nowadays is difficult compared to past decades because the temptations today are 100 times stronger. Safety is supposed to be our first concern because there are associated risks of being online. We have way too many cases of human trafficking, bullying and other forms of violence on the internet. We are all engaged in using social media as a means of communication, some notable ones are WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and many more, some still being developed. We are all exposed to the risks if we don’t take safety precautions. You can lose money, friends, family, trust, job, reputation and other valuable things in your life if you are not careful. The rate of depression is increasing, and the internet is one of the causes of this. We have to develop online protection precautions which will keep us safe from destruction. As Christians, we are ambassadors of Jesus Christ and have a mission to spread good news to each and every one. Social media is now our greatest tool to spread the word of God. Sadly, some people instead use social media to incite violence and cause chaos. In addition to that, they use it to spread lies and false stories. Here are seven tips for safety online: Keep your privacy settings on. Be careful when browsing. Remember to close all unrelated tabs. Misspelling of words can expose us to inappropriate content. Be careful when shopping online. Be careful when downloading videos and pictures. There are some pictures and videos which contain harmful information. Download from secure sites. Be careful when posting. There are some people who use our posts to violate us. Use strong passwords and change them periodically. Report any form of violence to security agencies. Protect yourself, your friends and your children by advising them to be safe online. The “Aspiring Journalists” initiative is a partnership between UNICEF and The New Times, encouraging young writers to develop and demonstrate their skills while spotlighting topics which are important to young people across Rwanda.
