KIDS 8-12: Unwanted Contact

You might meet someone or see something online that is unpleasant or makes you feel uncomfortable. This could be messages from someone you met online who starts asking personal questions or sends you photos that are upsetting or that you don’t like. It can sometimes be from someone you know offline.

So what should you do?

• Tell someone you trust—this could be your parents or your favourite teacher.
• Don’t respond—leave the site or chat session straight away.
• Block the contact—using your ‘ignore’ list or with filtering software.
• Keep the evidence—it can be used to track the person.
• Report it—ask your parents to contact your internet service provider or the website administrator. You can also report it to the police if there is a threat to your safety.
• Set your profile to ‘private’—your personal details are not revealed and it’s harder for people you don’t know to contact you.