CHAT ROOMS / ONLINE FORUMS

Chat rooms and online forums are a great place to meet other people, where you can talk about all the things you enjoy.

There are forums / chat rooms where you can talk about music, sport, and films –anything that you find interesting. There are loads of these forums, so you will be able to find one and talk about all the things you like, and even meet people who like the same things as you. You can read messages that have been put up by other people, you can reply to messages by adding your own answers or ideas and you can also put up a new message or question of your own.

If you see a message that upsets you, TELL A TRUSTED ADULT.
When you log onto a forum or chat room, ALWAYS USE A NICKNAME rather than give your real name. Nicknames can be a fun way to hide your identity when chatting online, but it’s not a good idea to pretend to be someone your not.
Some people who use chat rooms or forums lie about who they are. When you’re leaving messages to people in forums, NEVER GIVE OUT ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION about yourself. This includes your full name, address or school. It’s ok to tell someone what city you live in, as long as you don’t include anything else. Even giving a school name can be enough to allow someone to find you. If anyone ever asks you for this information, tell a trusted adult straight away.
Some people who you meet online may not be who they say they are. It’s very easy for people to lie when they’re chatting online, so NEVER ARRANGE TO MEET UP WITH SOMEONE WHO YOU HAVE MET ONLINE. If anyone asks to meet up with you, tell a trusted adult. It is not a good idea, but if you do decide to meet up then make sure you take a trusted adult with you and meet in a public place.

Some chat rooms / forums are moderated and this means that an adult is watching what is being said to make sure no one is being nasty.

They can delete messages and also ban people from leaving messages if they are upsetting