(Updated 04/04/2023)
The internet can be fun and a great way to talk to friends, play games, watch videos and listen to music. But not everyone online is real or honest about who they say they are and not all information on the web can be trusted. Remember to stay safe!
Tips For Staying Safe Online:
- Never use your real name in chat rooms
- Don’t give out personal information such as your address, mobile number, passwords, school, the clubs you go to, photos of yourself – even if someone tells you things about themselves
- Never respond to rude or mean messages (and don’t send any to other people)
- Never create or post a video or picture you wouldn’t want shared
- Only arrange to meet someone you have been chatting to with your parent’s/carer’s permission and at a time when they can come with you
- Be careful about accepting messages if you don’t know or trust the person who sent them – they can contain nasty images or viruses that may damage your devices
- Remember you can block people in a chat or instant messenger
- Agree some rules with your parents about what’s OK to do online and what isn’t – it will save arguments later!
- If anything makes you feel uncomfortable or worried, talk to your parents/carers/teachers about it
- Be extremely cautious clicking ‘links’ in emails of web pages or text messages you receive. (one of the biggest risk to a computer and your data is ‘you’)
- Get advice before installing any ’suggested’ software.
Online Safety and the Law:
Taking sexually explicit pictures of yourself and sharing them on the internet or by text has risks attached to it:
- Peers, friends and others in your social network may share the images
- Once an image is sent it is then out of your control and could be shared with others or posted elsewhere online
- There could be legal implications for you if you send sexually explicit images of yourself or others
In 2015 the offence of revenge porn was introduced where intimate images are shared on the internet to cause distress to a specific victim.
Sometimes a child or young person is groomed to send sexually explicit images by an adult who then uses them to blackmail or trap the child.
Are You Worried About A Child or Friend or Do You Need Help?
For a list of helpful organisations please visit IOW Childrens Safeguarding Board in the Related Organisations box.
Are you worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with you online? Go to Child Exploitation and Online Protection in the Related Organisations box.
Protecting Yourself Against Online Scams:
Email and online shopping can make our lives a lot easier, but they also create new opportunities for fraud. Online scams are becoming increasingly common and sophisticated, so it’s good to know how to keep yourself safe.
For specific advice on scams & fraud please click here
