Chatroom Safety Guide

Internet Chat Safety

Here you will find some general rules for safe use of internet and mobile chatrooms.

1. Be wary - people may not be who they say they are:

Even the most web savvy of us can be caught out by people who aren't who they say they are, so don't take things at face value when meeting people in chatrooms.

It can be scary but people such as child sex offenders do use chat to make contact. It's unlikely they'll tell you the truth about who they are, instead they'll probably pretend to be the same age as you - a potential mate. They'll spend months chatting, gaining your trust and pretending to be friendly and sympathetic - a process called 'grooming'.

So keep your wits about you, trust your judgement and if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable when you are chatting, let an adult know about it. True mates will be happy for you to tell your parents about your friendship whereas someone with dodgy intentions may want to keep your chats a secret.

2. Don't give out personal info:

Would you give a complete stranger your name, address and telephone number? No - then why do it in a chatroom/messageboard then?

It's easy for people to hide behind e-mail or text messages. Think of all the hassle you'd have to go through if you started receiving abusive texts and had to change your moby number. You can avoid that grief by never swapping phone numbers in chatrooms.

But remember, if you do give away personal details, don't panic. Let your parents know. Pest texts sent to your mobile can be traced back to the true sender and the mobile service provider will be able to help. Most e-mail programmes allow you to block out messages from people you don't want to hear from, so give that a go too, they are usually easy to use.

3. Don't put your friends in a sticky situation by posting their details:

Never give away your friends' details online - their addresses, e-mail addresses, mobile numbers or anything that could identify them offline. Never discuss their details in a chatroom, particularly information that they may have told you about themselves in confidence or anything that could possibly get them into trouble.

4. Be cautious about meeting online people face to face:

You should never meet up with someone you have only met in a chatroom no matter how long you've known them or how tempting it seems, because this is really, really risky. But if you are determined to meet up with a friend then NEVER go it alone. Always take a parent, older brother, or other trusted adult with you and ALWAYS tell an adult where you are going, and what time you'll be back.

5. You are in control - let someone know if you feel uncomfortable online:

Familiarise yourself with the help that's at hand - most chatrooms have an 'alert' button you can press if you feel concerned about another chatter's behaviour or you could keep a record of worrying conversations by hitting 'print screen'. Ultimately just remember this simple fact: you're in control and can leave a chatroom or log off whenever you like.