Box 14.1 Some Aspects of Internet Safety for Children There are a variety of sources of good advice for children about Internet safety.1 The following points summarize some of the most important things to keep in mind. Don't give out personal information without parental permission to anyone that you know only from the Internet. That includes your real name, your address, telephone number, parents' work address and/or telephone number, or the name and location of your school. It also includes your picture, which is information that is in fact about as personal as you can get. If you need to give out a name, make one up, or use your login or screen name. Don't use your real name as a login or screen name. Report to your parents, a responsible adult, or an older sibling anything that makes you uneasy or uncomfortable. Don't wait to look around or explore--report it immediately. There's nothing wrong with seeking out help for an experience that makes you feel uncomfortable. Never meet anyone in person that you first met through the Internet without parental permission and their accompanying you to a face-to-face meeting. If you do meet the person (even with parental permission and presence), do it in a public place. Realize that many people in real life are very different from how they seem online. Many people find it easier to lie in an online environment, are very good at it, and rely on the fact that you have no way to check on what they say. Someone who claims to be 5' 4", blond, and female and sends you a picture to "confirm" that could be a 6' 2" black-haired male who happened to have a picture of a girl that he found online. Talk with your parents (or teachers) about their expectations and group rules for going online. Establish mutually agreeable rules for when and how long you can be online, and identify appropriate areas and helpful Web sites for you to visit. If you want to do something that is not covered by these rules, talk to your parents or teachers about it. Don't talk to or engage with people that you don't know. If you get e-mail from an address you don't recognize, delete it without opening it. If you get an instant message from someone whose name you don't recognize, cancel it. Stay away from chat rooms without having an adult present. Treat others respectfully in an online environment. One good rule to follow is that you should not say or do anything with someone that you would not want your parents to find out about. Teasing, hurting, threatening, or being mean to someone else is inappropriate and wrong, whether it is online or in person--and is wrong even if you are anonymous to the other person. 1See, for example, <http://disney.go.com/legal/internet_safety.html>, <http://www.safekids.com/kidsrules.htm>, and <http://www.getnetwise.org/safetyguide/>.