Safety on the Internet

• Agree with parents/guardians in advance what sort of sites you will be visiting and make sure they know before you enter any chatrooms.
• Watch out for websites which have adult/over 18’s warnings. These will not be suitable for you and your parents can easily find out if you have visited them.
• If you find something on the web that worries or upsets you or you get a nasty e-mail message, let an adult know as soon as possible. It is not your fault but your parents or guardians need to know.
• Don’t give out personal information like your name, address, telephone number or school name on the internet.
• Passwords are private. Make sure they are at least six characters long and keep them secret. If you think someone knows your password change it straight away.
• Remember that people you meet over the internet might not be who they say they are. Some adults may pretend to be children and try and persuade you to meet with them – watch out!
• If you do want to meet people you have talked to over the internet make sure you let your parents or guardians know first. Arrange to meet in a busy, public place and get an adult to come with you, they can always go away again once you are sure that the person you are meeting is who they say they are.
• Remember that viruses can be spread through e-mail attachments. Only open e-mails from people you know and if you are at all uncertain delete the e-mail. Be especially careful of e-mails with attachments.