Pupils

E-Safety Advice for Children

(Provided by thinkuknow.co.uk)

Remember: NEVER give out any details about:

• Where you live
• Your age
• Your full name
• Your telephone number

Only write things that your would be happy to share with your Headteacher, that is an easy way to check you are writing appropriate and safe things.

Chatting

Using the internet has become a really exciting way of keeping in touch with friends and family.

There are loads of ways of doing this, including IM, chat rooms and through gaming and blogs.

Some people have met their best friends by chatting online. But there are also some people who use the internet to meet people who are unsafe to know, so you need to make sure that you keep yourself safe while still having fun.

Instant Messenger

Instant Messenger (IM) is a great way of chatting with friends and family, and it’s private so only the people involved can see what’s being said.

When a message is sent, it appears on the screen almost immediately, so it’s like having a real conversation! In IM, you can keep track of your friends using a contact list. This list shows when they are online at the same time as you, so you can see who you can talk to. You can even talk to lots of friends at the same time! You can use webcams when you are logged onto IM, and this can be great fun as it means you can wave at your friends while you are talking to them even if they are in another country!

Email

Using email is a great way of speaking to friends and family and it’s also used a lot by people at work.

You can send emails to lots of people at the same time and you can also send an email to anyone in the world – as long as you know who they are. When you send emails, you can also send pictures and videos for your friends to see, and this can be a great way of sharing information.

Chat Rooms / Online Forums

Chat rooms and online forums are a great place to meet other people, where you can talk about all the things you enjoy.

There are forums / chat rooms where you can talk about music, sport, and films – anything that you find interesting. There are loads of these forums, so you will be able to find one and talk about all the things you like, and even meet people who like the same things as you; but don’t give out personal information. You can read messages that have been put up by other people, you can reply to messages by adding your own answers or ideas and you can also put up a new message or question of your own.

Social Networking

Social networking sites are another great way to communicate with your friends.

Some of the most popular ones are Facebook and Twitter, although remember you need to be 13 and over to use these.  Some other popular social networking sites are Moshi Monsters and Club Penguin. On a social network you can create your own online personal space, and you can include lots of information about yourself, like what music you like and your favourite sport but don’t give put personal information.  You can also have a blog (an online diary) where you can write your daily thoughts and invite people to add their comments. You can add pictures of yourself and your friends, but you should ask them first in case they don’t want their picture online. Don’t post pictures that you wouldn’t want others to see. You can also add music and videos to your page to make it just how you want. You can invite your friends to have access to your site and you can have access to their sites too.

File Sharing / P2P

File sharing or peer-to-peer (P2P) is the name for sharing files like, music, films or pictures with your friends.

File sharing sites are not a great way of downloading music or films, since the files could contain viruses or nasty images. If you want new music or videos it’s better to go to a reputable site where you can pay for content.

Sites like YouTube where you can watch and upload films can be fun – but remember anyone can post on them – so you might end up watching something horrible.

Always ask a trusted adult before you visit these sites.

Gaming

Gaming is where you can play games online with lots of different people from all over the world.

You can play with people you know and also people you don’t. Gaming is a great way of meeting new online friends who like the same games as you and you can also chat to people you meet on gaming sites.