Information for Young People
No matter what your age, the Internet is a great place to explore. There is so much information available at the touch of the keyboard and it makes it just so easy to keep in touch with friends and family… and of course meet people from around the world.
While on the whole, the Internet is fun and exciting, there are some people who use the Internet for other purposes. Just like in the real world, the cyber world has its risks and dangers; and just like in the real world to keep yourself safe, it is important to be aware of these and to do everything you can to protect yourself and those you care about.
If you are older you might feel that you don’t need to take precautions, but it is important to know that just because your are older doesn’t mean you are not at risk.
Remember that the Internet is a public forum. That means that whatever you post up there can (and will) be read by other people. You should never post anything on the Internet that you would not want other people to know. You should also remember that the people you meet on the Internet might not be who they seem to be. Because the Internet offers a degree of secrecy, people can be whoever they want.
Things You Can Do
There are some basic things you can do to keep yourself safe on the Internet and avoid risky and dangerous situations (whether you are searching, instant messaging, in chatrooms or blogging):-
Be as anonymous as possible. So avoid giving out your full name, your address, your telephone number, the name of your school or any other information that someone might use to find out who you are and where you are. You should also not reveal any information like this about your family or friends.If you are creating your own e-mail, avoid using your full name in the address (eg. john_brown@...)
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Don’t create nicknames or identities that may be interpreted as suggestive (eg. hot12). These types of names will attract some people who you might put you at risk.Never get together with someone you meet on line. This is one of the most dangerous things you can do. Even if you think you know someone because you have talked to them on-line, remember that people on the Internet may not be who they seem to be. It is easy to pretend to be someone you are not. If you do want to meet someone, make sure you discuss it with your parents, never meet the person alone and make sure you meet in a public place. The safest thing you can do is ask your parents to speak to the other person’s parents first and for both of you to bring your parents along when you meet for the first time.
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Think about it before you post any photos. Remember that whatever you upload to the Internet can be downloaded by someone and passed around. One tip is that before you post a photo think about how you would feel about people seeing it.Don’t respond to abusive or inappropriate e-mails, chats or instant messages. If someone sends you a message that is clearly abusive or makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, don’t answer it. People who send these types of messages want you to respond and they will just keep doing it. Show it to your parents or an adult that you trust so that they can alert the appropriate people.
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Talk to your parents or carers about the Internet. Remember that it is most likely that your parents did not grow up with the Internet and they may still not know much about it. They might have concerns about what you do and see on the Internet and it can help you both if you sit down together and talk about how you can avoid dangerous or risky Internet situations.
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Talk to your parents about some of the tools available to make your computer safer for you. Information on things like filters, anti-spyware, pop-up blockers etc can be found at the NetAlert website.
What To Do If You Have Concerns
This website has some links on it for who to contact if you are concerned about someone’s behaviour on-line or something that you see or are sent while on-line (just click here and scroll to the bottom of the page).Make sure your parents or carers know about this so they can help report anything that you are concerned about.
If you are unsure and would like to talk to someone from Bravehearts, our contact details are here.
If you have experienced something inappropriate, have been sexually assaulted or are concerned about that someone you know has been sexually assaulted, there is some information here for you.
