Chat Rooms

How can I make it safer?

Explain to your child that online chatting needs to be adult-supervised. Don't allow your child to communicate in unregulated chat rooms.
Know your child's login information and email addresses. What username or character names has your child given her/himself? Does it provide identifying characteristics about her/him or her/his hobbies (e.g. shygirl, bookworm, etc.)?
Monitor your child’s webcam use and any posting or exchanging of pictures online.
There should be a time every evening where all technology is shut down. If your child has a laptop with a built-in webcam in their room, either remove the laptop from the room or make sure the laptop is closed.

Set the expectation that you will monitor your child's online activities, as the Internet is a public place.
Explain to your child that pictures should not be sent or posted online without parental permission. Once sent, control over what happens to the picture is lost.
Reinforce the idea that not everyone is who they say they are online. People can pretend to be older or younger than they actually are.
Explain to your child that s/he should trust her/his instincts and block or ignore someone if they are asking questions online that seem "weird" (i.e. questions about puberty, sex, etc.).
Talk about friendship: what it is and isn't.
Explain to your child that it's illegal to threaten someone, and that s/he should tell a safe adult if threatened online.