Being a ’90s kid, I grew up just before the internet became mainstream. I still remember buying prepaid credit just to download a new song on my flip phone.

When the internet emerged, the world changed rapidly. People could share their thoughts, knowledge, and information, making it accessible to everyone.

For me, this was a blessing. I was skinny, socially awkward, lacking confidence, and didn’t have any real skills. But I had one thing: ambition. I had the drive to change my situation no matter what. So I used the internet to its fullest potential, learning everything I wanted and growing at an incredible rate.

Although the internet was a blessing for me, it has definitely become a curse for most people. I’ve learned a lot online, but like many, I’ve also experienced its downsides.

Here are 11 lessons I’d share with people in their 20s:

1. Always fact-check

Because anyone can post anything online, there’s a lot of misinformation. It’s hard to know what to believe and who to trust.

First, be skeptical about the information you consume. Don’t instantly believe everything you read or see. Second, cross-check information from multiple sources. If no one validates the claim or people say the opposite, it’s likely false.

2. Stick to the fundamentals

When learning something new, you might be tempted to learn everything at once. This is normal, but it’s not the smartest approach.

You’ll probably feel overwhelmed—I know I did when I started learning to code. I dived into all sorts of obscure programming languages and ended up overwhelmed and learning nothing. After years of this, I reverted back to the basics, and my progress skyrocketed.

Lesson? Focus on the basics. Master the fundamentals. Ignore the flashy stuff and get good at the core skills.

3. Don’t watch porn

I’ve always found it strange—watching strangers have sex while you… well, you know. It’s just silly.

Have I ever watched porn? Of course, who hasn’t? Am I ashamed of it? Absolutely.

Porn has been around for a while, but its accessibility is relatively new. Before, you had to feel the shame of buying a DVD at the store. Now, it’s just a click away on your phone.

The long-term effects of daily porn use are still unknown. Do you really want to be a guinea pig?

4. You can improve anything

The internet isn’t all bad. Yes, there are pitfalls, but it has opened many doors.

In the past, you had to spend hours in a library, unsure if a book would provide the knowledge you were seeking until you’d read the whole thing. Today, you have the world’s knowledge at your fingertips. The only challenge is knowing what to search for.

How many people know they can improve their emotional well-being? That such knowledge is available? Not many. Any problem you face can be solved, but you need to be aware of the problem and seek out the solution.

5. Question everyone

People love giving advice, even when they have no idea what they’re talking about. I can’t count how many times people have given me fitness advice without knowing anything about fitness.

It’s human nature—people want to appear smart. But most of the time, they’re talking nonsense. Few people admit their lack of knowledge. No one says, “I don’t know enough about that to have an opinion.”

So, question everything—whether it’s online or in real life.

6. Learn from people where you want to be

This may sound contradictory, but if you want to master a skill, you need a mentor—someone who has already achieved what you want to achieve.

Sure, you can learn a skill on your own and make mistakes along the way, but it will take a lot longer. A mentor can save you time by helping you avoid mistakes and focus on the right things.

When validating someone as a mentor, check their track record. Do they have visible results? In fitness, for example, if the guy looks buff, he probably knows what he’s doing. You wouldn’t trust diet advice from an overweight person, right?

7. Be mindful of what you’re consuming

There’s a lot of negative content online. Often, the negativity isn’t even true.

For example, content about women only caring about money, status, and looks goes viral all the time. Why? Because it triggers emotions.

Everything you see online is designed to trigger emotions, whether it’s true or not. And that’s messed up. But what’s worse is that the more you see this content, the more it shapes your reality.

If you constantly see videos saying women are only after money, you’ll start to believe it and view women through that lens. Be aware of what you’re consuming.

8. Nothing is true unless proven

Everything you see online should be questioned. Assume it’s false unless proven otherwise.

Are there facts? Studies? Multiple studies? Ask these questions, especially when encountering negative content. You don’t want to carry that negativity around.

Even with positive content, question it. But at least if it made you feel good, you’re spreading positivity, which makes the world a little better.

9. Experience is king

Before the internet, knowledge was scarce, which was a problem. You didn’t know what you didn’t know.

Now, we think we know too much because we consume so much information daily. But that’s not learning. You haven’t learned anything until you’ve applied that knowledge in the real world.

The ratio should be 10% learning and 90% experience.

That applies to everything.

In coding, it’s 90% building projects and 10% learning code.

In fitness, it’s 90% diet and working out, and 10% learning about fitness.

Most people reverse this ratio—90% learning, 10% action. Or even less.