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Teen Safety on the Information Highway
RISKS BY AREA
The Web
Web sites give you the opportunity to read newspapers, tour museums, check out libraries, visit distant lands, play games, look at picture, shop, or do research to help you with your homework. You can pursue your hobbies, plan vacations, and much more. There are millions of web sites on just about every topic imaginable.
Did You Know?
Some web sites are wonderful, others are kind of dumb, and some contain so-called "adult" images and other material that teens should avoid. Still others are violent, racist, sexist, and demeaning. Some of these sites contain material that can be disturbing, even for adults. If you wander into any of these areas, it's best to leave immediately by clicking on the Home icon, going to another site, or shutting down your browser.
Caution
In addition to displaying information, web sites sometimes ask you for information about yourself. The site may ask for your name, mailing address, E-mail address, and other information before it will let you in. It may entice you to provide information in exchange for sending you a promotional item or entering you in a contest. Never enter any information about yourself without first checking with your parents.
When you enter information on a web site or anyplace on the Internet, you're giving up a bit of your privacy. At best, your name will wind up in some database, probably to be used to sell you something now or later. At worst, it could be used to harm or exploit you. Just because a web site seems to be operated by a reputable organization or individual doesn't mean that it necessarily is what it seems to be. Anyone - including creeps and criminals - can set up their own web site. So be extremely cautious before telling the "web master" anything about yourself. This is especially true with sites that contain adult material.
Some teenagers have their own web sites or post material to web sites maintained by their school or an organization. That's terrific, but if you do post something on the web, be sure to never include your home address, telephone number, or a photograph of yourself. If you do want people to be able to contact you through the web, just give an E-mail address.
Chat Rooms
Chat rooms let you engage in a live conversation with people around the block or around the world. It's like being on a party line, only you type instead of talk. Everyone in the "chat room" can see everything you type. The types of chat rooms vary depending on the service you're using. Some chat rooms are just open conversations. Everyone has a pretty much equal role. Some rooms are moderated where there is a "speaker" who is leading the discussion and participants. Some rooms have chaperons or monitors who are responsible for maintaining order, but even in some of these rooms what you type is displayed immediately. The monitor can kick someone out of the room who is acting in an appropriate manner, but he or she may be able to act only after the fact. The monitor can't, however, prevent you from going off to a private chat area with a person who might do you harm or typing information that could put you in danger.
Did You Know?
Chat is probably the most dangerous area on the Internet for a couple of reasons. As with other areas of the Internet, you don't know who is there, so never say anything in a chat room that you wouldn't say in public.
It's not uncommon for people to make "friends" in chat rooms. You enter a room; start a conversation with someone; and, before you know it, you've established a friendship of sorts. That relationship could turn out OK, but there are some not-so-happy stories. Chat rooms are sometimes used by people to exploit others. To put it bluntly, chat rooms - especially those used by teenagers - are sometimes also used by child molesters to find victims. Adults or even older teens seeking to exploit younger people don't necessarily tell the truth about who they are.
You might meet someone in a room who appears to be sympathetic and understanding and offers you wonderful advice and counsel. If the relationship remains strictly online, that could be OK as long as you're careful not to give out any personal information and you let your parents know.
Caution
It can be tempting to get together with someone you meet in a chat room, but remember - people are not always who they seem to be. The basic rules for online safety apply to all areas of the Internet, but they are especially important in chat areas. Never give out personal information, and never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone you meet in a chat room without first checking with your parents and taking the precautions listed in "Never Get Together With Someone You 'Meet' Online.
Chat rooms are sometimes organized around topics, so avoid any topic area that makes you feel uncomfortable. But just because a chat room is designed around a particular topic doesn't mean that other topics aren't discussed. Even if the room is "teens only," you have no way of knowing if everyone really is a teenager, so you still have to be on guard.
Be especially careful of chat rooms that get into subjects that might be associated with sex of cults or groups that practice potentially dangerous rituals. It might seem interesting or even fun to discuss actions that you might never consider engaging in, but some people who fantasize about things also like to carry them out.
Be suspicious of anyone who tries to turn you against your parents, teachers, or friends. They may have a hidden agenda.
On some services and web sites you can enter into a private chat area where you can arrange to meet friends. In some case, those rooms are truly private. But in other cases they may be listed in a directory of rooms. If so, there is nothing to stop others from entering those rooms.
One trick to avoid harassment, especially for women and girls, is to choose a gender-neutral name - like your initials or a word - to use in a chat room. It's fine to be cute or funny with the name you choose, but be sure it doesn't identify you and doesn't have any meaning or implication that might encourage others to bother you.
E-Mail
E-mail is typically a one-to-one communications system. Just like regular mail, you write to someone and they can write back.
Did You Know?
Increasingly, people and companies are using E-mail to send out messages to thousands of people at a time, encouraging them to buy something, do something, or visit a web site. The process, known as "spamming," can be intrusive and annoying. Because E-mail is essentially free, "spammers" can send out thousands or even millions of messages at little or no cost. Some use spamming to try to entice people to visit sexually explicit web sites.
Each E-mail message that you send and receive contains a return address. What many people don't realize is that the return address can be fake. So, just because you get a message from "grandma@cottage.com" doesn't mean it's really from grandma. It could really be from "wolf@bigfangs.com." E-mail also contains other information called a "header" that provides more information about who sent the message and where it came from. Understanding the header information can be difficult, but if you ever receive an E-mail message that is belligerent, threatening, or contains material that makes you feel uncomfortable, you should report it to your Internet service provider and ask them to investigate where it came from. If the material appears to be illegal in nature, you should report it to the CyberTipline, or call 1-800-843-5678. Illegal material includes threats to your life or safety, threats to others, child pornography, and evidence of other crimes. NCMEC will refer this report to the appropriate federal law enforcement agencies.
Caution
Be careful how you respond to E-mail from people you don't know. Remember, the sender might not be who he or she seems to be. Never send a photograph of yourself or any personal information to someone you don't know. Also, E-mail can easily be copied and forwarded to others. So if you do send personal information to friends, be sure that they are willing to respect your privacy.
In general, it's best not to respond to spam mail or mail from someone you don't know. By responding, you are verifying to the sender that you have a valid E-mail address, and that information can be used to encourage a person who may send inappropriate E-mails or get you on even more lists. If you receive a message that contains material that is sexually explicit, violent, or advocates something that is illegal or simply makes you feel uncomfortable, show it to your parents and report that message to your Internet service provider. You can usually find that address on the service's main web page (www.servicename.com). When in doubt, report the message to postmaster@servicename.com (substitute the name of your service for "servicename").
Newsgroups, Forums, and Bulletin Boards
Newsgroups (sometimes called bulletin boards or forums) are places where you can read and post messages or download or upload files. Unlike chat room, newsgroups are not live or "real time." If you post a message it remains on the newsgroup for people to look at later. Newsgroups can also be used post files including computer programs, pictures, illustrations, and stories.
Did You Know?
There are newsgroups on almost every possible subject, and they are often used as ways to get questions answered and share information about hobbies, musical groups, or any other subject of interest. Unfortunately, newsgroups, like other areas of cyberspace, have risks.
Caution
The biggest risk is that you might post something that reveals information about yourself. Even if you are responding to a particular individual's posting, what you type, in most cases, is available for anyone to see. So, once again, remember the basic rules and never reveal identifying information about yourself. In many case, the mere act of posting something makes your E-mail address public. Even if you don't say anything revealing, your address will be available for people to send you E-mail that could be bothersome, and newsgroups are a favorite place for people who send out junk mail ("spam") to gather addresses.
There are newsgroups that contain sexually explicit stories, illustrations, and photographs. In some cases, this material may be illegal, especially if it contains images of people who are younger than the age of 18 or certain other material that has been defined as "obscene." Some of this material can be disturbing and should be avoided. It is dangerous to post anything in these types of groups because anything you type reveals your E-mail address which could reveal your identity. Remember, anytime you post to a newsgroup you are broadcasting your E-mail address, even if you don't include your actual name.
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Copyright © The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The information on this website is provided as a courtesy to My ParenTime's Family Community visitors, and is for educational purposes only.
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