Zip It, Block It, Flag It
The UK Council on Child Internet Safety has launched a new campaign to help young people stay safe when they are online. Click Clever Click Safe aims to keep young people safe through its three main messages: Zip It, Block It and Flag It.
Zip It - Keep personal information to
yourself
When using the web, don't give out personal information. Personal
information such as your name or photos can easily identify you and
where you live and may put you in danger if obtained by ill-intentioned
individuals.
Information you shouldn't give out include:
- Photos, as they may be used to identify you and where you live.
- Your full name. Use a nickname instead when you are online.
- Your address. Nobody needs to know this so never give this out.
- Name of your school. This can give people an idea of where you live.
- Phone numbers. Keep your chat online.
- Places where you hang out. This again can disclose where you live.
- Passwords. Never give them out as people can pretend to be you online and use your personal information.
Block it - Don't put up with abuse
- If someone targets you for abuse, never tolerate their behaviour. Block them.
- If you receive e-mails with links or attachments from people you don't know, there is a chance the link or attachment contains a virus. Delete the email and block the sender.
- If you keep receiving instant messages or emails from someone you don't wish to hear from, don't put up with it and block that person.
Flag It - Tell someone
If you see anything online that worries you, if someone wants to meet up
with you offline or is causing you problems, then talk to someone you
trust such as a tutor, teacher or parent. If you don't feel you can talk
to someone but need advice, you can phone Childline on 0800
1111 or visit the Child
Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).
The internet is a powerful tool and learning how to use the internet is an important part of modern education which is why the government is looking to introduce lessons as part of the curriculum. A poll by the charity Beatbullying found that 57% of young people were harassed when using a messenger service.
Have you experienced any problems when surfing online? Has someone asked you for personal information or sent you abusive messages? Let us know how you dealt with it by posting a comment below.
