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Social networking sites have spiralled in popularity over
the last few years - they're used by over 60 per cent of children
between 13 and 17, according to the Child Exploitation and
Online Protection Centre. Here children can chat with existing
friends, make new friends and post pictures and video clips
of themselves.
These sites can be a fantastic way for young people to exchange
ideas, have fun and widen their circle of friends, but you
need to know that the information you give may make you vulnerable
to predators.
For parents the problem is there's no real way of telling
the identity of the other person their son or daughter may
be chatting to - until they arrange to meet up. A survey by
the London School of Economics shows that an alarming one
in 12 children has gone on to meet someone they met on the
net.
Diamond Dan's SMART Chatting - A Young Persons Guide
SAFE: Keep safe by being careful not to give out personal
information, - such as your full name,
e-mail address, phone number, home address, photos or school
name - either to people you are
chatting with online or by posting it online where other people
can see it.
MEETING: Meeting someone you have only been in touch
with online can be dangerous. Only
do so with your parents' or carers' permission and even then
only when they can be present.
ACCEPTING: Accepting e-mails, IM messages, or opening
files, pictures or texts from people you don't know or trust
can lead to problems - they may contain viruses or nasty messages!
RELIABLE: Information you find on the internet may
not be true, or someone online may be
lying about who they are.
TELL: Tell your parent, carer or a trusted adult if
someone or something makes you feel
uncomfortable or worried, or if you or someone you know is
being bullied online.
Diamond Dan's Safe Chatting - A Parents' Guide
- Ban computers from bedrooms. Keep them in an open area,
such as the kitchen or family room, so you're aware of what
your kids are doing and encourage them to talk about their
experiences - good or bad - on line with you.
- Use the net. Create your own account on the sites your
child uses and check them out for yourself. This will help
you understand the potential pitfalls.
- Tell your son or daughter never to give out any personal
details such as where he lives, the school they go to -
anything that could lead someone to them. Remember photos
can be very revealing - showing street names or schools,
for instance.
- Make sure your son or daughter clicks on the password
protection box. On many sites there's a public profile,
which anyone can see, and a private section that can only
be accessed by their friends or to people they want to give
out their password to.
- Insist that your son or daughter never meets anyone in
person that they've met online and encourage them to chat
only with those they already know.
Source: www.ukfamily.co.uk and www.childnet-int.org
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