Virginia

educating themselves (or having their university if a sponsored trip, or associated sponsor as with WNBA star Griner) fully educate them on what they must NOT do to remain safe while traveling these countries. Having worked in several such countries, I listened intently when counseled about how to approach such potentially regressive policies. Years ago when Iran was open to US business, the teens of several families went over and either were not appropriately counseled or, like their parents who sometimes flouted cultural differences, decided to push the envelope. At the time even a mildly critical comment of the country of the Shah-- scrawled on a postcard could be picked up by Iranian security causing at least embarrassment or banishment. Teens who engaged in any kind of drug behavior with local Iranian kids found themselves (and parents) on the first plane out only to hear those Iranian kids were found dead in the desert. Those were not just stories concocted to scare kids and other travelers... but if they did scare them into being cautious, all the better.

Cross-cultural respect is something travelers need to learn to be good citizens. But in authoritarian or repressive countries, it goes so far beyond this and one violates those norms and expectations at your own risk.