Social Network Survival Guide for Kids

If your kids or teens use social networks, multi-user gaming sites, chat rooms. or instant messenger services you need to know they are behaving safely. That means not giving away any information that predators or bullies could use to hurt them.

I've been involved in running safe social learning networks for kids aged 6 to 16 for over 10 years. So I thought you might like to benefit from what we've learned from that.

Here's some simple tips for your kids on how to protect their identity and prevent bad people getting to them and causing them harm. These are things they should or shouldn't publish on their profile pages, or say in forums or emails to people they don't know in physical life.

Print the section below and discuss it with your kids. Do let me know if you find it helpful, and write to me to suggest how we improve it to help others keep their kids safe.

THINK FIRST

The Internet is an amazing place to have fun and learn.But unfortunately there are some bad people on the Internet who want to hurt kids. So you need to PROTECT YOURSELF.

Think for yourself about what is OK to show or tell people on your profile, your home page, in forums and in emails. And think about what you should keep private.

DO TELL

What is OK to show or tell?

• Your first name only (never give your last name).
• Your age (but not your date of birth)
• The town or city where you live (but not your address)
• The number of people in your family (but not their full names)
• Your hobbies, favourite bands
• List your other friends in the network
• Pictures of your pets, places you go etc.

DON'T TELL

What is NOT SAFE to show or tell?

• Your passwords
• Your personal description (E.g: I have blue eyes, brown hair)
• Your surname or any middle names
• Names of people in your family
• Your street name, home address
• Your private email address
• Your mobile, cell phone or telephone number
• The places you go (E.g.: clubs or classes, or where you play)
• Your routes to or from school
• Any photos of you, your family or friends
• Any descriptions or pictures of your home
• Any descriptions or pictures of your belongings or valuables
• Too much information about what your parents do

THINK ABOUT WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF...

Pictures

• If you show a picture of yourself, a bad person could recognise you and find you in the real world - at your school or in your street.

Personal Stuff

• If you say where you go swimming or play out, a bad person might follow you.
• If you give your name and address a bad person could find you and hurt you.
• If you give your phone or mobile number you might get calls from bad people!
• If you give your personal email address you could get junk emails and bad messages.

Password

• If you told anone your password, they could get into your account nd find out all about you.

• They could spoil your profile or home pages.

• They could break the rules and get you thrown out, or they could pretend to be you and do nasty things to others.

• AND YOU WOULD GET THE BLAME!

Meeting up

• People you have met online only might not be who they say they are.
• Someone who says she is a 12 year old girl might be a 50 year old man!
• So NEVER arrange any face-to-face meetings with anyone you have met on-line unless your parents go with you.