Chat Rooms

How can I make it safer?

Limit the amount of time adolescents spend online.
Know who adolescents are communicating with online.
Know adolescents' login information and email addresses. What username or character names has the adolescent given her/himself? Does it provide identifying characteristics about her/him or her/his hobbies (e.g. shygirl, bookworm, etc.)?
Monitor adolescents' increasing independence. Even though adolescents may appear as though they can handle certain situations, they actually require and unconsciously seek adult guidance and supervision.

Reinforce to adolescents the public nature of the Internet.
Ensure that adolescents understand that they can talk to you about anything they come across on the Internet without fear of losing Internet privileges.
Teach adolescents that it is illegal for people to manufacture, possess or distribute naked or sexually explicit pictures of children under 18 years of age.
Discuss with adolescents the concept of dignity and self-respect and how it can be preserved or destroyed by messages sent online and offline.
Suggest that adolescents review Respect Yourself, a website designed to teach teens about the risks they face when sending pictures or videos by email, Instant Messaging (IM) or by posting them online. This site guides teens through the risks and provides them with strategies to help keep them safe.