There is no way to keep you 100% safe from predators on-line but there are many precautions that you can take when you are entering a chatroom. There are many signs that can help you decide if the chatroom you are in is reliable and is looking out for your well-being. When the home page of a chatroom is open there should be a link to a page of security tips with links to useful sites. On this homepage there should also be the goal of the chatroom and the approximate age target. The homepage should clearly state if the chatroom is moderated or not. A moderated chatroom means that there is a staff member who is always watching the general chatroom or can be contacted. The links to contact the moderator or to report something should be accessable from every page of the site. If registration is necessary always check the page to see if there is a reason for the information. If the chatroom doesn’t seem reliable they could be taking your information to use for spam.
Even when a chatroom follows all of the above points there are still many dangers, luckily, there are easy ways for everyone to protect himself or herself. The simplest thing to remember is to never give out personal information to anyone. When creating a display name for the chatroom make sure that it is not suggestive and doesn’t give any hints to your real name, gender, location, or age. When you are inside a chatroom and there are profiles involved never put up any personal information, identifying information, or pictures. These profiles are given so that you can find people with common interests, not so you can find out what someone looks like or contact them outside of the chatroom. If you are chatting to someone and there is a photo of them don’t believe that photo is actually of them. It is very easy to find a picture anywhere and claim that it is you. If unwanted comments or a private message is sent block the person immediately or log out. Never accept files or URLs from people in chatrooms, these could easily contain viruses or send you to websites that you have no interest in. Never meet someone in person who you originally met in the chatroom. If you do not follow this advice and do decide to meet someone in person make sure that you bring a trusted adult or friend and meet in a public place during the day.
If you are a parent of a child who uses a chatroom you don’t have to ban your child from using them. There are many ways you can keep an eye on your child’s activity. Keep your computer in an open area where you can easily see the computer screen. If you feel uncomfortable with the chatroom try logging onto it yourself and discover what it’s about, if it truly is inappropriate then look into some chatrooms that are meant for children that are heavily moderated. Have an open relationship with your child and explain to them that there are some “not so very nice” people on the Internet and that if they ever feel uncomfortable to come directly to you. If it is a serious situation you may need to report the activity to the police. If children, teenagers, and adults all work together we can all chat safe!
No comments:
Post a Comment