I recently referred to myself as 'first generation' social media. While I'd find it impossible to pinpoint exactly which generation we're at right now, the fact that my mind is continuously blown by the Insta wisdom of a colleague just four years younger than me tells a lot.

Putting a name on my experience with the world of social media has recently made me mull over what it means to be 'first generation' – and naivety, woeful ignorance and vulnerability are terms that keep popping up.

In the days of Bebo, social media was just a fun way of keeping in touch with your friends during those, oh, two hours when you weren't hanging out with or texting them. In my eyes, it was innocent; a window into the fun parts of your life, like holidays and college nights out.

But as social media grew and took a greater hold over our lives, it seems we – or at least I – maintained the same level of naivety in the online world for quite some time.

While I was still sharing drunken photos of myself in club bathrooms, social media was becoming THE point of character reference for everyone from frenemies and total strangers to employers.

Like many others, there are plenty of tweets, statuses and photos that were hastily deleted within minutes of posting, or the morning after a night out. And while I would consider myself to be a smart girl, I still get the fear over spilling my heart and soul out for the entire world to see all those years ago.

But do you want to know the worst part about all of this? I have to be reminded of it every single day I log onto Facebook. While the Facebook Memories feature has brought many a smile to my face, usually over a Friends quote (pivot, anyone?); there are some memories that I really don't need to be reminded of.

Like photos documenting friendships lost, ambiguous statuses written at 4am after a bout of alcohol-fuelled drama, and links to songs that I only listen to when I'm truly heartbroken and need to wallow.

It's all a little clichéd and cringe-worthy, like reading back on your old diaries and dying with mortification, only there's one big difference: it's not under lock and key; this was once very likely digested over a bitchy brunch by the very people you do not want knowing your business.

When I'm brave enough to rediscover my Facebook memories, I go through a range of emotions: sometimes I'll laugh, sometimes I'll get a sinking feeling in my stomach, and other times I practically go red with embarrassment at the stuff I used to post.

But the one thought that crosses my mind each and every time that I retrace my digital footprints is this: how could I have been so naive as to share such an intimate insight into my life and its many twists and turns?

With the simple click of a button or pasting of a link, I have bared my soul to no one in particular and yet the entire world. And it terrifies me.

It's also kind of telling that when I was going through any particularly challenging times over the past few years, the first thing I did was quit social media. I didn't want or need that kind of exposure, and I didn't need to take on anyone else's, either.

Thanks, in large part, to the 'first generation' and our mistakes, people of all ages are now much more equipped to tackle the problems that social media sharing – or rather oversharing – can bring. But the warnings aren't enough.

I recently read that an overwhelming majority of Irish parents are keen for online safety to be taught as a formal subject in schools, and I believe this is not only a smart move but a vital one in order to protect young people's mental health.

Do I think a teacher needs to stand at the top of a room and preach about the dangers of baring your soul on social media, in a world where 'likes' – not viewing statistics – are recorded? Absolutely.

Can you imagine modern education without basic maths or sex ed? No? Well social media plays just as big a role now; it's embedded in our daily lives – so why are we leaving our young people to blindly feel their way through the online realm, wandering into Troll Ville and Overshare Alley?

In a world where the slightest slip-up becomes the fodder of online trolls and meme-generators, let’s not hang the next generation out to dry; let’s take action.