The Internet

Chat rooms are often a fun way for children/teenagers to gain social skills, ‘meet’ new friends and improve their computer and literacy skills but they can be misused, and this can pose a threat.  When they use chat rooms, encourage your children/teenagers to:

• Never give out personal information like their full name, address, telephone number, school name or their e-mail address.  Arrange to meet someone in the chat room if they get on well with them, rather than contacting them direct.
• Use a ‘moderated’ chat room where someone ‘referees’ – this protects from abusive people.
• Agree with your child/teenager in advance what sort of sites they will be visiting.  Keeping computers in family areas (not in their bedroom) also gives you some level of surveillance over how they are using the internet.
• If they become so friendly with someone they chat to online that they want to meet in person, you should always arrange to go with them.  Arrange to meet in a public place where there are lots of people around.  Children and teenagers should never arrange to meet anyone they have met online without a responsible adult being with them.
• Remember that people you meet over the internet might not be who they say they are.