The internet has become one of the greatest past times for kids. To list a few, they can chat with their friends, play games, and do homework, but it can also be a dangerous place. There are people out there lurking trying to lure kids in.  

We have listed some safety precautions that kids need to be aware of. 

Protecting Your Privacy

 Protecting your privacy is very important! This can range from a number of things such as your name, address, telephone number, where you live, or even what school you go to. You should never give this information out. The person you are chatting with may claim they are 12 years old, but in real life the person may really be 37 years old. They are not chatting with you to be your friend, they are chatting with you to hurt you.  

Chat Rooms

Chat rooms are even more dangerous. A chat room can hold many people. Some may be who they say they are, but then again some are lurkers who are preying upon kids. Again, you should never give out any information that may tell someone who you are and where you live.

Can you tell me what is wrong with this chat name? leann_smith94

The kid is using her name, last name, and the year she was born. This is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! The lurker now realizes he or she is talking to a 12 year old girl names LeAnn Smith.

How about this chat name? louisvillediamond55

The kid not only told what town they are from, but their mascot and their jersey number as well. The lurker now knows to look up the town Louisville and possibly even look up a game schedule, come to that game and find number 55.

This is very serious and should be avoided. If you are going to chat on the internet, pick names very carefully. Have your parent or guardian help you choose a name.

XXX Porn

Porn sites should be avoided! They are not suited for kids, and they also contain spy programs or even viruses. Once you go to a porn website, their website downloads these spy programs in to your computer and sends out all this information about what websites you have been to and how often you go. They then flood your screen with pop ups, and other unwanted material. The spy ware and viruses can harm your computer and could be costly if your computer gets damaged enough.

Pop Ups

Sometimes windows will suddenly appear and tell you that you are an instant winner of something really cool. They may ask you to complete a survey wanting your personal information, or simply wanting you to visit their site.  NEVER fill anything out. You should close the window IMMEDIATELY!
If you go to their site, they may download a cookie in your file and you will get more offers!