At National Online Safety, we provide multi-award-winning online safety education for the whole school community. It’s our mission to make the internet a safer place for children. We believe that when children go online to learn, communicate or play, they should be able to do so safely. That’s why we provide schools all over the world with the knowledge they need in order to tackle new and evolving online risks.
Likes and Reactions
Virtually every social media platform has a facility for reacting to content instantly. It's quick, it's easy and it's convenient - but what happens if people (young people especially) begin to conflate online 'likes' with real-world popularity, or even their own self-worth? Check out this short explainer video on the subject.
What are likes and reactions?
Likes and other reactions are a way in which people show that they approve of a piece of content.
They’re often used as a barometer of relevance and popularity and as such, they have become a measure of social credibility, with many young people measuring their own self-worth according to how many likes they get.
There are now lots of different ways people can engage with content including likes, reactions, up and down votes, and comments.
For more information on the associated risks and online safety tips for parents and carers, watch our explainer video, available to those with a National Online Safety membership.
