Be careful who you trust online and remember that online friends are really strangers. People online, no matter how long you have been talking to them or how friendly they are, may not be who they say they are.

Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous. If you feel that you ‘have to’ meet, then for your own safety you must tell your parent or carer and take them with you – at least on the first visit – and meet in a public place in daytime.

Check your profile and make sure it doesn’t include any personal information (name, address, telephone number, mobile number, private email address, picture).

Get away from an unpleasant situation in a chatroom by logging out (this just takes one click) or by changing your screen name.

Use a nickname, not your real name, and a nickname that is not going to attract the wrong type of attention.

Stay in charge in chat. Keep your personal information secret when chatting online (name, address, telephone number, mobile number, private email address, picture), even if people ask for this. Although It can be tempting to reveal more than you normally would in online friendships, giving out personal information can make you vulnerable.

Tell your parent or carer if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried.

Learn how to keep/save a copy of the conversation in chat – this may be useful if you want to report something.

Check you know how to report something you feel uncomfortable about to the chatroom provider or moderator.