1 Be careful what you tell people.  When sending email or chatting with people, don't tell anyone:
  • What your full name is
  • Where you live
  • What your phone number is
  • Where you go to school

You should never give such information without your parent's or guardian's permission!

 
2 Never send a picture of yourself to anyone on the Internet

 
3 Never agree to meet with anyone you've chatted with or sent email to on the Internet.  You should never agree to meet with people that you've met on the Internet, unless your parent or guardian gives  permission and goes with you to meet the person.  Your parent or guardian should be with you for the first few meetings, and those meetings should always be in a public place.

 
4 Remember that people may not be who they say they are.  An adult could pretend to be someone they're not, and may even pretend to be someone who's the same age as you, so they can get to know you better.  They may talk to you for a long time, so that they earn your trust.

 
5 If you receive any messages that make you uncomfortable, tell your parent or guardian.  Don't try to keep things a secret because the person you were talking to on the Internet said it was a secret.  If you don't want to tell your parents or guardian at first, or receive messages through a school computer, tell a teacher or another adult you trust.

 
6 Never give credit card information without your parent's or guardian's permission.  You should never use the credit card of a parent or other adult to order things from the Internet, unless they have specifically told you to do so.

 
7 Talk to your parents, and find out whether they have set up your Internet Browser and Chat programs for your safety.  There shouldn't be any mention of your personal information (real name, address, etc).  If they don't know how to do this, have them contact the Internet Service Provider, which they pay for Internet access.  They can also look into services that provide content protection.   This will protect you from seeing Web pages that contain objectionable material.

 
8 If you have any questions or concerns, ask a parent, guardian or teacher.  You don't need to worry about whether the question may seem simple or embarrassing.  Remember that the only dumb question is one that isn't asked.