I often read articles and watch news clips about internet safety and I find that very rarely, you hear the perspective of a young person on internet safety. As an eighteen year old who has been using the internet since the age of eleven, portions of the article baffled me such as the acronyms used as chatrooms. I had no idea the majority of the ones listed even existed. That’s largely because I don’t use chatrooms, they never were my cup of tea anyway. Using my age and experience on the internet, I can use these to offer my own personal experiences and tips to my peers and younger children while surfing the world wide web.

1) The results of a recent poll showed that children 10 to 14 years old believe that anything they post is confidential. As a writer and artist, I use the internet as a way to post my work and get exposure. A piece of my work is bound to be seen by at least a number of anonymous people around the world. The exact same thing can be said about a post revealing your phone number, address and other personal information. Anyone could view these things at any moment and any time. Everything is out in the open.

2) If you are planning on sending or posting a picture, make sure it is NOT a picture of you in front of your house (especially when addresses and street names are in full view and become dead give-aways), school or yourself in a swimsuit or anything skimpy. You wouldn’t want your beach exploitations in the hands of pedophiles and creepers so why would you want to post them on the internet?

3) My experience over the years of posting at and moderating message boards and forums has taught me how to deal with and sniff out troublemakers and creepy types. It’s quite easy to figure them out when you have general common sense. If you are uncomfortable with the person talking to you on the other end, don’t hesitate to block them. Don’t even worry about hurting their feelings; just get out of the conversation. I had a similar situation when I was fifteen when a random person added me on MSN (I only add people I am familiar with and comfortable with) and was harassing me in a rather creepy way. Having had no idea who he was with potentiality of being a stalker, I asked if he was a high school student and he quickly said ‘yes’. That tipped me off and I immediately blocked him. I was quick to tell my parents about what had happened and we sorted it out. I have not had a potential stalker since then. It is better to be safe than harmed.

4) Finally, have common sense. I simply cannot stress this enough. The internet can be a safe place as long as you have the previous three tips in mind. Be alert, never let your guard down and keep your head screwed on.