Chatroom Dangers

A chatroom is a web page that you can type text into, and send messages to someone else, showing that you are 'chatting'. It's great fun, and a way to make new friends, but you need to be careful.

You can't see or hear the people you talk to in chatrooms, and sometimes they don't tell the truth about who they are. For example, some of them may be men who are a lot older than you. They could lie about their age.

"Hi, My name's Catherine, and I'm 14 years old. Do you want to meet up? It would be fun, but don't tell your parents! I want to meet you alone."

Sometimes, the people you talk to may ask to meet up in person. They ask to meet you on their own to have sex with them or sexually abuse them. These people are called paedophiles and they can be very dangerous.

Staying Safe Online...

Don't use your real name - use an online name. It can be a bit of fun
Don't lie about your age
Don't give our your email address, mobile number, home or school address
Don't post your photos online.
Use public chatrooms where there are lots of people, not private chatrooms where there is just you and them.
Don't agree to meet up with anyone you've met online, unless you can take at least one of your parents/carers along too.

Are you worried about a friend or sibling?

Tell them not to meet up with anyone they have met in a chatroom
Tell them not to give out their personal details (name, address, etc.)
Support them and encourage them to tell someone about what is happening

Do you think someone's not being truthful about who they are in a chat room?

If you think that someone in a chatroom is lying about who they are, email the person who is in charge of the chatroom.
Warn your friends not to use the chatroom
Don't use the same chatroom again, find another one that's safer

Who To Contact...

CEOP

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