If you have a computer hooked up to the internet, there are dangers your parents may or may not know about. The news is full of stories about kids and teens who have been lured away from home and harmed or killed by criminals who use the internet to find their next target. Most of the time, these criminals track down their targets by becoming "friends" with kids in chat rooms, at message boards, or through web pages such as MySpace. No matter how often parents tell their children about the dangers or the news broadcasts true accounts of kids being kidnapped, harmed, or killed by someone they met on the internet, a lot of kids feel they're being safe when using these sites. This is especially true if the sites are listed as "family safe", "for kids only", etc. Even if the site posts it's "Terms of Service" and list something such as "You must be a kid or teen to use this site" don't let that fool you. People who want to harm children will lie and to connect with targets. While some people may say the fear of predators using these sites to connect with kids is overstated, the rule is "Better safe than sorry". Even if only one child is ever harmed by an internet predator, that's one too many.
     While criminals may lie and use sites created for kids, the best choice is to use only chat rooms, message boards, and web "spaces" designed to be used by kids.
     Always create a user name different from your real name. It's fun to use a name that reflects your personality, your favorite animal or activity, or something you believe in. If you choose to use your real name, you should only use your first name. Never give your full name, street address, or phone number to anyone for any reason. Most sites designed for kids won't ask for this information even to register to use the site. If you have to give this information, you have two options ... find another site to use or make something up.
     Don't give anyone your email address. This will probably be required to sign up to use most sites and is acceptable. You should sign up for a free email account at a place like Hotmail, Yahoo, or other places and use that account but don't list any factual information about yourself.
     While chatting, posting messages, blogging or any other way of communicating with people, don't tell them anything which can be used to identify who you really are. Your parents' full names; the name of your school, church, or favorite place to "hang out"; the real names of your friends and teachers; and other personal information can all be used to narrow down your identity and where you live. Don't fall into the "trust game". Just because someone else tells you they trust you enough to tell you personal things about themselves or their lives doesn't mean you have to tell them anything about yourself. If they want to be your friend, they'll accept the response "I'd rather not talk about that".
     The most important thing to remember is to never arrange to meet anyone you talk to on-line. They may sound like a great person, but you never know who will show up. This means you shouldn't meet them alone or with a group of your friends, but also you should never even ask your parents to go with you. A criminal will see your parents and not approach you, but they may follow you home to find out where you live.
     I'm not saying you can't have fun and make friends on the internet. I only want all kids and teens to be safe. I may have missed some good safety tips, but the basics are not to tell anyone anything personal about yourself or meet, in person, someone you only know from what they tell you on-line. Now go have some fun!