KAILA - What would you do if you found out that one of your friends was talking to strangers online?
Alesi Vuicuvu, 14, Class 8:
I would inform him/her that talking to strangers online is a no, no and really dangerous which could lead to many social issue like child sexual abuse and human trafficking. My advice is for students to always be honest with our parents and report immediately if a stranger sends a friend request on social sites such as Facebook.
Torisi Koroidimuri, 14, Class 8: I would advice my friend to stop talking to strangers immediately and inform her parents or older members of the family about it."
How long ago did you start using social media and why? What do you personally use social media for and why?
Seini Lakepa, 12, Class 8:
I started using social media since I was 9 years old and utilize it for entertainment and to broaden my knowledge on issues out there not only in Fiji but the world. Apart from this my family and I also use social media as a way of communicating with our families and friends here in Fiji and living overseas and it's also a quick way to get in touch with people in during emergencies as a lot of people have the application such as twitter on their phones."
What are some of the positive and negative aspects of social media that you have come across?
Ralph Dunn, 14, Class 8: One of the main social aspects is it broadens our knowledge on issues out there especially issues that are of importance to us and a major negative impact is the abuse of these social sites. A lot of young people use it for all the wrong reasons without realizing that there are lots of positive aspects to be gained from these sites."
Viliame Foiakau, 13, Class 8:
Interacting with our family members who are away is cheap now as we do not have to send letters by mail etc and the negative side is the misuse of it by a lot of young people. They watch videos that have adult contents and also read about postings that are not appropriate for their age."
Do you know that you can go to an adult for help if something makes you uncomfortable online? Have you ever done this before? Please give examples.
Tiara Wise, 13, Class 8: "I'm happy to say that I have a good, open relationship with my parents as this has allowed me to openly discuss issues with them and not only those that relate to social media but when it comes to it my parents monitor my time on the internet and I also need to be very clear to them about what sites I usually visit."
How would you respond if a stranger tired to contact you through an online site?
Makereta Moceisuva, 13, Class 8: "First of all if I was at home when this happens I would immediately inform my parents and If I was at school I would let my teacher know. I would not respond to any friend request from people I do not know."
What social media do you utilize the most and what do you think are some of the advantages and disadvantages of social media?
Caleb Valentine, 13, Class 8:
"I mostly utilize Facebook and Google Search Engine to conduct research for my homework and also read Yahoo News.
The advantage I would say is the easy availability of information on any given topic and easy to communicate with my family overseas. Disadvantage is lots of young people using too much time on the sites and in turn do not do their homework at times because they're focusing too much on the entertainment aspects and this is not good."