Guidelines for Etiquette and Security in Online Chat Rooms

Youth, pay attention. Your possession of an email account is assured. And you're definitely chatting with friends on IMs or meeting new people in internet chat groups.

Underneath all the excitement and enjoyment of chat rooms, though, come the risks of meeting online predators, computer viruses, and regular individuals who may appear nice but aren't.

Knowing these online safety tips will keep you secure in these chat rooms.

(1) Maintain an air of politeness at all times. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is the golden rule, which you should study. When interacting with strangers online, what if some of them were impolite? Just cut ties or remove them from your contact list.

2. Avoid accepting gifts from people you don't know. People who prey on children, who are innocent and gullible, are often online predators. They want you to think they're lovely, so they offer you things. However, the truth is that they can be acting with ulterior motives that could endanger you.

3. Keep your school, bank, and credit card details, as well as your real name, home address, email, and passwords, secret. Two things are at play here. To start, the individual to whom you are disclosing this information may exploit it for their own sexual or financial benefit. Secondly, the majority of IM and chat rooms do not use encryption. It isn't safe, to put it simply. Thus, anyone with the correct instrument and malicious intent can eavesdrop on your chat, potentially endangering you.

4. It is highly recommended that you stick to public chat rooms that are controlled, suitable for children, and safe. These can protect you from harmful individuals who may attempt to say something that could embarrass you.

5. Be wary of individuals you don't know in the chat room; never accept or download things from them. The information in this file is unknown to you. Additionally, before opening the file, make sure it is virus-free if you request it.

6. Stay silent if you get texts that disturb you. Get a grownup to look at it right away after printing it.

7. Be wary of showing or sharing images with people you don't know or trust.

8. If you are not familiar with the person, do not let them view your camera.