Precautions

Safe & Responsible Computing

Precautions for Tweens & Teens

Surfing online seems perfectly safe and anonymous. But where there is a will there is a way and if someone wants to find you they just may be able to unless you take some basic precautions every time you are online. Don’t believe me? Check out http://netsmartz.org and see how easy it is for the wrong person to find you.

You may think the person you are talking to on line is a kid just like you. But because you can’t see them – and because some times people don’t tell the truth – they may be tricking you. You may think you’re chatting with a kid when really it’s an adult.

So, because we want you to be safe - never give out any personal information that could help someone find you – like:

Your real name – always use an alias.
Your address – never tell anyone where you live – not a street, not a city, not anything!
Your telephone number – nobody needs your phone number to talk with you on line.
What school you attend or school teams you play on.
Never send anyone a picture of yourself.
Never agree to meet anyone you meet on line. If someone asks you to meet them – tell your parents or other trusted adult right way.

This isn’t just some preachy site where grownups tell you what to do. This site has a lot of great information for kids like you about how to surf safely on line. You can hear a real story about young girl who decided to meet an online “friend” in person. You can see just how easy it is for someone to find you if you give out the wrong information online.

But, we’re not here to scare you. The Internet can be a lot of fun. You just have to learn the rules so you can play smart.