Internet Online Safety How to have FUN and Stay in Control

Online Safety How to Stay in Control Do you think you know how you can stay safe when you are using the internet? Staying in control is about knowing that some people use the internet to be nasty to others. We have lots of information for you about the internet and mobile phones, so you can make the right choices and be safe.

Online Safety Chatting When you’re chatting to people online, TRY NOT TO GIVE OUT ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION about yourself. This includes your full name, address or school. It’s ok to tell someone what city you live in though as long as you don’t include anything else. Even giving a street name can be enough to allow someone to find you. If anyone ever asks you for this information, tell a trusted adult straight away. Some people who you meet online may not be who they say they are. It’s easy for people to lie when they’re chatting over the internet, so DON’T ARRANGE TO MEET UP WITH SOMEONE who you have met online. If anyone asks to meet up with you, tell a trusted adult. It is not a good idea, but if you do decide to meet up then make sure you take a trusted adult with you and meet in a public place.

Online Safety Chatting & Instant Messaging Some people you meet online may not be who they say they are, so it’s a good idea to make sure the people on your contact list are people you really know in the real world. If someone adds you to their contact list and you don’t know them, make sure you BLOCK THEM. This will stop them from seeing when you are logged on, and they won’t be able to contact you. If you add someone and decide afterwards you don’t want them on your list you can delete them too. If you have your own profile on Instant Massaging IT’S NOT A GOOD IDEA TO INCLUDE LOTS OF INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF, like your hobbies, favourite band, your address and school.

Online Safety Chatting & Instant Messaging It’s also NOT A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE A PICTURE OF YOURSELF on your profile. You can use one of the pictures that are on IM already, or a picture of a pet or your favourite pop group. This is because if you have someone on your contact list who you don’t know in the real world, they will be able to have access to your profile and see what you look like. Lots of people also use webcams when they use IM - this can be a great way of seeing all your friends and family when you are talking to them, but remember some people you meet online may not be who they say they are. Webcam images can be recorded and copied and also shared with other people, so the best thing to do is not use a webcam with people you don’t know in the real world. Some people will try and speak to young people using IM because they have bad intentions and they can fake webcam images and pretend to be someone else to try and trick you. If you feel worried about this, make sure you tell to a trusted adult.

Online Safety Sometimes you get s from people you don’t know. In the Cyber Café, Sunil receives an from someone he doesn’t know and he does the right thing by deleting the and not replying to the person who sent it. These s are usually junk s and this is called ‘Spam’. Some people also send viruses and nasty pictures by using . It’s important to remember that if you receive an from someone you don’t know, NEVER OPEN IT. Tell an adult you trust if you’re not sure what to do. Some people also send fake s to trick you into replying. They get addresses by using special software or from other websites on the internet. If you reply to one of these s, the people sending them will know that your address is real, and they could start sending you junk or nasty s. Make sure you ALWAYS DELETE S FROM PEOPLE YOU DON’T KNOW.

Online Safety s can also get lost on the internet after they have been sent, so make sure you don’t include lots of information about yourself that may allow people to know where you are. NEVER GIVE OUT PERSONAL INFORMATION, like your full name, address or school to people you talk to using , if you don’t know them in the real world. If anyone you talk to online asks for this information, tell a trusted adult. Some people use s to send pictures of themselves to friends and family, but IT’S NOT A GOOD IDEA TO SEND A PICTURE TO SOMEONE YOU HAVE MET ONLINE who you don’t know in the real world. They may not be who they say they are, and you don’t want a stranger to have a picture of you or your friends/ family. Finally, the most important thing to remember when you are using s is... TREAT PEOPLE HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED YOURSELF. Take responsibility for what you write when using and never write something that might hurt or upset someone.

Online Safety Chat Rooms & Online Forums If you see a message that upsets you, TELL A TRUSTED ADULT. When you log onto a forum or chat room, ALWAYS USE A NICKNAME rather than give your real name. Nicknames can be a fun way to hide your identity when chatting online, but it’s not a good idea to pretend to be someone your not. Some people who use chat rooms or forums lie about who they are. When you’re leaving messages to people in forums, NEVER GIVE OUT ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION about yourself. This includes your full name, address or school. It’s ok to tell someone what city you live in, as long as you don’t include anything else. Even giving a school name can be enough to allow someone to find you. If anyone ever asks you for this information, tell a trusted adult straight away.

Online Safety Chat Rooms & Online Forums Some people who you meet online may not be who they say they are. It’s very easy for people to lie when they’re chatting online, so NEVER ARRANGE TO MEET UP WITH SOMEONE WHO YOU HAVE MET ONLINE. If anyone asks to meet up with you, tell a trusted adult. It is not a good idea, but if you do decide to meet up then make sure you take a trusted adult with you and meet in a public place Some chat rooms / forums are moderated and this means that an adult is watching what is being said to make sure no one is being nasty. They can delete messages and also ban people from leaving messages if they are upsetting

Online Safety Social Networks Social networking sites are all online, so any information you add about yourself can be seen by anyone in the world. If you put too much information about yourself online, people you don’t know may be able to find you. NEVER PUT YOUR FULL ADDRESS ON YOUR SITE. It’s best to leave the space blank, or if you do want to add some information, make sure that you make your profile private so only your friends can see it. It’s a good idea to USE A NICKNAME rather than your real name - your friends will know your nickname so will know it’s you! It’s a good idea to PUT YOUR REAL AGE on your site - if you lie and say you are older, you may get adults trying to contact you. It’s also NOT A GOOD IDEA TO PUT YOUR MOBILE NUMBER on your site - your real friends will already have it!. (Aka facebook/twitter/ bebo/ Moshi Monsters)

Online Safety Social Networks USE YOUR PRIVACY SETTINGS! Adjust your account settings (sometimes called “Privacy Settings”) so only approved friends can instant message you. This won’t ruin your social life – new people can still send you friend requests and message you, they just won’t be able to pester you via IM. This means that people you don’t want to see your profile can’t! Anything you add to your social networking site can be copied or printed, so if you want to put pictures up on your site think before you do it. Remember that your site may be seen by strangers and once a picture is online, it’s online forever. It may be safer to use cartoons instead of pictures - that way you can still make your site fun, but no one will see your picture! If you set up a social networking site, make sure that you make it private so only your friends can see it. That way you can stop strangers from seeing all your information. Some people who you don’t know in the real world may try and ask to be your friend, so they can see your site. It’s not a good idea to allow a stranger to have access to your site – they may not be who they say they are and you don’t want a stranger knowing lots of things about you! If someone you don’t know asks to be your friend, tell a trusted adult straight away. (Aka facebook/twitter/ bebo/ Moshi Monsters)

Online Safety FILE SHARING / P2P File sharing can get you in trouble as some sites haven’t got permission to have the music or videos on their site for you to download. The best thing to do is ASK A TRUSTED ADULT to download something you want so you don’t get in trouble. Download sites can also contain NASTY PICTURES AND VIRUSES. Always visit reputable sites. Such as i-Tunes or Amazon You usually have to pay for downloads on these.

Online Safety Gaming Sometimes when you play a game, you can feel like you’ll do anything to win or get to the next level. IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT IT IS ONLY A GAME, and sometimes you will win and sometimes you will lose. There is nothing wrong with losing – with lots of practice you will get better. Some people may get nasty when playing online games as they want to win. Make sure that when you play online games, you don’t upset anyone in order to win or get to the next level. Also remember not to do anything that you know is wrong to get cheats or tips. It’s always best to use a nickname when you are using gaming sites, rather than give out your real name. Some people who you meet online may not be who they say they are, so remember not to give people you meet on the gaming sites information about yourself.

Online Safety CYBER BULLYING Cyber bullying is the name that is used when people use the internet to send nasty and upsetting messages to others. It can also be done by people using mobile phones, by sending messages and making nasty phone calls. The number one rule to remember if someone is being nasty to you in this way is DON’T RESPOND AND DON’T REPLY. You should tell a trusted adult straight away if someone is upsetting you, or if you have been getting upsetting messages. The second rule is to SAVE ALL NASTY MESSAGES AND S. You don’t have to read them, but save them in a folder so you can show an adult if you need to. The third rule is to TELL A TRUSTED ADULT. If you tell someone about what’s been happening, they will be able to help and maybe stop it. If you feel you can’t talk to someone just yet, call Childline in confidence on

Online Safety HOW TO REPORT Being online and using the internet is just like being in the real world - you can chat to people, play games and share pictures. But sometimes things happen which can make you upset. People may say nasty things to you which upset you, or you may see something that you don’t like. If this happens, you must remember that it’s not your fault. ALWAYS TELL A TRUSTED ADULT straight away if you are upset or worried about something that has happened online. Remember to SAVE ANY MESSAGES that have upset you so you can show them to who you tell - they will be able to help, and they will be able to give you good advice about what else you can do. Never worry about getting in trouble - you aren’t the one who has done anything wrong. If you don’t want to talk to a trusted adult, you may want to chat to someone else about how you feel. THERE4ME IS A SITE WHERE YOU CAN HAVE A PRIVATE ONETO-ONE CHAT with someone from the children’s charity NSPCC. You can also CALL CHILDLINE FREE ON You can talk to someone in private and it won’t show up on your phone bill.