Online safety

Stay alert if a stranger tries to contact you through social media, an online platform or game. Some people genuinely want to be friends, but others are pretending to be something they are not.  

Abusers may pretend to share your interests or try to make you feel special. Some may move conversations onto sex, or ask for naked pictures or videos. This is against the law. 

Tips to stay safe online: 

• Don't give out personal information - name, email, phone number, address or the name of your school - to people you don’t know. 

• Turn settings to private, so people you don't know can’t see your posts or location. Anything you post could be saved or shared by people who see it. 

• Don’t add people you don’t know, and only talk to people in gaming if you know them in real life. Don’t arrange to meet in person.   

• Block anyone who acts inappropriately. Speak to your parents/carers or a trusted adult if you're worried. 

• Think about what you’re posting. Would you want your Gran to see it? 

• Choose strong passwords that can’t be guessed, and don't use the same one for every account. 

• Check for a padlock symbol in the address bar (which shows a site is secure) before entering information like payment or address details. 

• Beware of dangerous internet challenges. Many young people have died from dangerous challenges which involve trying to faint on purpose. Don't be next. 

Protect yourself online 

Perpetrators sometimes use social media and other online platforms to try and find children and young people they can exploit. 

While there are some people out there who genuinely want to be friends with you online, there are others pretending to be something they are not. Stay alert if a stranger attempts to contact you through social media, an online platform, or a game.

They may pretend to share your interests as a way to develop a relationship, so they can harm you. Look out for flattery - perpetrators like to make you feel special, and they do this as it’s hard to think badly about someone who is being so nice.

Some perpetrators move conversations onto sexual topics and will talk about sex, may ask for naked pictures of you or for videos of you doing sexual activities. It's against the law for someone to ask for these types of pictures or videos. 

• Turn settings (including location settings) on social media accounts to private, so people you are not friends with can’t see your posts or location 

• Don’t add people that you don’t know on any social media account 

• Don’t automatically trust someone even if they seem really friendly 

• Block anyone who is acting inappropriately or saying inappropriate things 

• Only talk to people in the online gaming world if you know them in real life 

• Tell a trusted adult like a school nurse, teacher or parent if you're worried about someone online 

• Don’t arrange to meet people in person who you have met online. If you are considering meeting someone in person, speak to your parents/carers or a trusted adult first. 

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Cyber bullying

Cyber bullying is a form of bullying where digital technology is used.

You could experience cyber bullying via your phone, through social media platforms, when you’re gaming or when playing on your computer.

Remember these key points:

• Cyber bullying should be taken just as seriously as face-to-face bullying
• Cyber bullying can affect someone’s emotional health
• Cyber bullies can often cause distress to their victims by sending comments, videos or images to a person without their consent
• Cyber bullies may also try and hack into personal accounts to cause further harassment
• Cyber bullies like control and may ask you to do things you may not feel comfortable with

If you are a victim of cyber bullying it is important that you speak out and seek advice and support. To get help or if you want more advice, please use the following links: 

Childline- Bullying and cyber bullying

ThinkUKnow

National Bullying Helpline