Children's Safety Online

The Internet is an exciting place for children, providing access to a wealth of information, culture and games. There are a huge number of great websites aimed at children and teenagers, from useful learning and research tools, to fun sites with chat facilities so kids can talk to friends online.

The Internet is a vast and diverse medium, and whilst this has many advantages it can also carry dangers. A few simple guidelines can help to keep children safe on the Internet and ensure their online experiences are positive. This section aims to answer common questions about chat rooms and the internet asked by children and their parents.

Chat Rooms - Kids Guide

What is a chat room?

Chat rooms are places or 'rooms' on the internet where people from all over the world can talk to each other by typing in messages. It a bit like text and e-mail all rolled into one, and lots of people can type messages, or join in a chat room conversation at any one time.

How can I be sure the people I'm chatting to online are who they say they are?

You can't. Anyone can enter a chat room and there is no way of knowing if any of the details they give about themselves online are actually true. Lots of young people and teenagers use chat rooms to chat to their friends on the net, so it's a great way to meet people of the same age, but you should be aware that some people may not be who they seem to be. Make sure you follow a few 'golden rules' to keep yourself safe when you're chatting online.

	Always keep your personal details a secret.
	Don't use your real name in a chat room, use a nickname instead.
	Never give out your address. If someone asks you where you live give them a general answer, i.e. the city or county name.
	Never give out your mobile phone or home telephone number. Although you might want to text your online friends instead of logging on, it means you are less in control of when and how much you speak to them and it may make them able to find out other details about you.
	Keep your age and the name of the school you go to secret too!
	Don't use private chat rooms. Stay in public chat areas, and if you do want to chat to someone in private tell your parents or another adult about it first.
	Don't send pictures of yourself to people you've met online.

What should I do if someone I've been chatting to online wants to meet me in real life?

Never agree to meet someone you've met in a chat room in real life. If anyone you've met in a chat room asks you to meet them, tell your parents or another responsible adult straight away. If you do meet someone from a chat room make sure you take your parents or another adult with you. Think about your own safety, remember that this person may not be who they say they are.

What should I do if I get e-mails that scare me or aren't very nice?

If you get any messages, e-mails, texts etc from someone you've met online, that make you uncomfortable or frightened, tell your parents, teacher or another adult you trust straight away.

	Leave the chat room the moment you get a message that makes you feel uncomfortable. Remember that you are in control, one mouse click is all it takes to get yourself out of the chat room, and away from the person sending the message.
	Tell your parents or another adult you trust straight away. Don't be embarrassed or feel that it's your fault.
	Complain to the chat room host, website or your service provider. Most chat rooms or websites have a contact link or button, use this and let them know who has been sending nasty or frightening messages, they may be able to ban them from using the chat room in the future.
	Don't reply to the e-mail. Although you might want to send back a nasty reply, try not to. If you reply it will confirm your e-mail address is active and it might mean you get more unwanted e-mails. Write down the date and time that you got the e-mail; save a copy if you think it may help prove you are being bullied or harassed, or just delete it.
	You can report obscene or pornographic material to the Internet Watch Foundation (visit http://www.iwf.org.uk for more details), or to the police.
	If you get lots of nasty or threatening e-mails, or feel that you are in danger, contact your local police station.

Are chat rooms safe?

If you follow the golden rules above and remember that stranger = danger on the net just as in real life you can use and enjoy chat rooms safely. Chat rooms can be used by paedophiles who 'groom' children by pretending to be someone of the same age and building up an online friendship. Because you can't see who you're talking to online it's easy for someone to pretend to be something or someone they're not. You should be aware of the dangers paedophiles pose in chat rooms, following the golden rules above, using your common sense and letting your parents know who you're chatting to online can all help to keep you safe without spoiling your fun.

How can I be sure my children can't access inappropriate material on the internet?

One way of restricting the material your children have access to on the internet is by installing filtering software on your computer. Filtering packages such as Net Nanny block websites with certain content so access cannot be gained to them. Filtering packages are not 100% effective, and can block sites that you would ordinarily want your children to see, such as educational sites on sex and drugs. Internet browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator have facilities that let you choose the type of websites you are happy for your children to see. This creates a 'walled garden', which is quite restrictive and possibly better for very young children rather than teens. Remember that your children may have unrestricted internet access at friends houses or in internet cafes, for this reason make sure your children are web-wise; that they recognise the advantages and the dangers of the internet and use common sense when online.

What about chat rooms?

Some chat rooms are supervised by either human or machine moderators. Known as moderated chat rooms, supervisors weed out inappropriate messages to keep content within the appropriate boundaries for the age group the chat room targets. Some moderated chat rooms protect users personal profiles so other chat room users can't find out extra information about them. Although moderated chat rooms are less likely to contain inappropriate message content than their unsupervised counterparts, chat room users should still follow the same safety precautions listed in the golden rules above.

I'm worried that my children could be targeted by paedophiles online

Anyone using the internet should do so with a level of caution and common sense. Chatting to friends online is rapidly becoming a fixture in the lives of children and young people and, as with the internet as a whole, offers many advantages. There is a lot of negative publicity about chat rooms and the grooming of children by paedophiles on the internet, and there is no doubt that this is a real danger that faces young web users. By educating yourself and your children about safety online you can help to minimise the risks when you log on. Encourage your children to follow the golden rules (above) when in chat rooms, make sure the computer is in a family room, and take time to sit with your children when they're on the net, they could probably teach you a thing or two.