On its safety page, Facebook says that what you post on the site “says a lot about who you are”. “In all public places,” it adds, “online and off, it’s important to represent yourself as the kind of person you want to be”.

For a long time, Webwise has promoted this mantra for schools, parents and teachers, and, in recent times, as part of its efforts to keep users safe, Facebook has developed its own advice for young people, and older users.

Among the tips, Facebook says that you can keep the online community safe by reporting fake profiles, an offence which is not in line with the firm’s rules.

The safety team at the internet giant also advises people to “think before you post”.

“It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and write or do something that may seem hilarious at the time. But remember, what you say can really hurt someone, or come back to haunt you. Think before you post. It only takes a second or two,” safety experts working for Facebook say.

“Also remember that any information you post – whether in a comment, a note or a video chat – might be copied, pasted and distributed in ways that you didn't intend. Before you post, ask yourself - would I be OK if this content was shared widely at school or with my future employer?”

Among the other tips Facebook offers up to users are:

• Only ‘Friend’ people you know
• Create a good password and use it only for Facebook
• Don’t share your password
• Change your password on a regular basis
• Share your personal information only with people and companies that need it
• Log into Facebook only once for each session. If it looks like Facebook is asking
  you to log in a second time, skip the links and directly type www.facebook.com into
  your browser address bar
• Use a one-time password when using someone else’s computer
• Log out of Facebook after using someone else’s computer
• Use secure browsing whenever possible
• Only download Apps from sites you trust
• Keep your anti-virus software updated
• Keep your browser and other applications up to date
• Don’t paste script (code) in your browser address bar
• Use browser add-ons like Web of Trust and Firefox’s NoScript to keep your account
  from being hijacked
• Beware of “goofy” posts from anyone—even Friends. If it looks like something
  your Friend wouldn’t post, don’t click on it
• Beware of enticing links coming from your Friends

If you stick to these tips, you are sure to maintain your own, and your pupil or child’s, Facebook safety.