Email

How can I make it safer?

Reinforce to students the public nature of the Internet.
Ensure students understand that they can talk to you about anything they may come across on the Internet without fear of losing Internet privileges.
Teach students not to open or reply to emails for which they do not know the sender.
Discuss with students the concept of dignity and self-respect and how it can be preserved or destroyed by messages sent online and offline.
Discuss with students the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships.
Explain to students that they should never comply with threats, and to seek a safe adult for help.
Make sure students know to stop any conversation that makes them feel uncomfortable and tell a safe adult.
Explain to students how experimenting in a public place like the Internet can have irreversible, embarrassing consequences.
Suggest to students that they 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 safety strategies to help keep them safe.