1. Never post your personal information, such as a cell phone number, address, or the name of your school.
2. Be aware that information you give out through social networking sites, instant messages, e-mails, and blogs could put you at risk of bullying and other types of victimization.
3. Never meet in person with anyone you first “met” online. Some people may not be who they say they are.
4. Remember that posting information about your friends could put them at risk.
5. Never respond to harassing or rude texts, messages, and e-mails. Delete any unwanted messages or friends who continuously leave inappropriate comments.
6. Never give out your password to anyone other than your parent or guardian.
7. If you wouldn’t say something to another person’s face, don’t post it online!
8. Only add people as friends to your site if you know them in real life.
9. Think before posting your photos. DO NOT post or send semi-nude or nude pictures of yourself or anyone else! Personal photos should not have revealing information such as school names or location.
10. Use the privacy settings of the social networking sites.
11. An interactive educational safety resource is available for children ages 5 to 17 at www.netsmartz.org.
Resources for Information On Internet Safety
- http://www.netsmartz.org/; http://www.netsmart411.org/
- http://www.getnetwise.com/
- http://www.safekids.com/
- http://www.isafe.org/
- http://www.webwisekids.org/
Adapted from information provided by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
