Stay Safe Online
The internet is a brilliant place to play. But you cannot see who is really on the other side. Here is how to keep yourself safe — and the three big moves to make if something feels funny.
Grown-ups: the full guide for parents and carers is here — grooming, sexual extortion, AI-faked images, and what to do in the first hour if it is happening.
You cannot see who is really there
In a game or a chat, a person can type anything they like. Somebody can say “I am seven too!” and have a cartoon cat as their picture — and really be a grown-up you have never met.
That does not mean the internet is scary. Most people are fine. It just means that online, a stranger is still a stranger, even after you have played together lots of times, and even if they are very nice to you.
So we have a simple rule in this family: the people you chat to online are people you also know in real life. Everyone else, we are friendly to, and we keep our private things private.
What we keep private
Some things are just ours. We do not type them to people online — not even if they ask nicely, not even if they say please, and not even if they say they already know.
Your whole name
Your first name and your last name together belong to you.
Where you live
Your street and your house number are only for trusted grown-ups.
Your school
That tells a stranger where to find you every single day.
Phone numbers
Not yours, and not your grown-up’s either.
Passwords and secret codes
Nobody needs them. Not even a friend in a game.
That you are home alone
Just say your grown-up is busy right now.
Photos of your body
No clothes on, or just underwear. Nobody is ever allowed to ask you for those.
Pictures of your bedroom or bathroom
Those rooms are private rooms.
Turning your camera on
Not for someone you have never met in real life.
🟢 And here is what is absolutely fine to chat about
See the difference? The green things say what you like. The private things say who you are and where you are.
🌳 The park rule
The internet is a bit like the park. It is a good place and we go there a lot. But we do not shout our address across the park, and we do not take our clothes off at the park. Online is exactly the same — even though it feels private, because you are at home on the sofa.
Your body belongs to you. That includes pictures of it.
Nobody is allowed to ask you for a photo or a video of you with no clothes on, or in your underwear. Not a stranger, not a friend, not somebody who says they are a kid too, and not a grown-up. If anyone asks, the answer is always no, and you tell your grown-up straight away.
Eight clues that someone is being tricky
Tricky people are not easy to spot, because they are usually extra friendly. So we do not look at how nice they sound. We look for these clues instead. If you spot even one, you are allowed to stop talking at once.
“Don’t tell your mum and dad.”
This is the biggest clue of all. A kind person is happy for your grown-up to know.
They give you presents, coins, skins or free things.
Tricky people give gifts first so you feel like you owe them something later.
They ask you for a photo. Or they send you one.
Nobody online needs a photo of you. Not one single photo.
They ask lots and lots of questions about you, very fast.
Where do you live? How old are you? What school? That is not chatting, that is digging.
“Let’s talk on a different app, just us two.”
They want to go somewhere your grown-up cannot see. Stay where you are.
“Who else uses your tablet? Which room are you in?”
They are checking if a grown-up is nearby. That is never a normal question.
They say things about your body.
Even if it sounds like a compliment. Stop talking to them.
“Come and meet me.” Or they get cross when you say no.
You never meet an online person. Ever. Tell your grown-up straight away.
Your tummy knows before your brain does
Sometimes your body notices that something is wrong before you can even explain it. These are the feelings to listen for:
Butterflies, or a funny feeling in your tummy
Your heart beating fast
Feeling hot or sweaty
Feeling tense or shaky
Feeling like you might be sick
Wanting to hide the screen
That feeling is your body saying: go and get your grown-up. It is always okay to listen to it. You never need a good reason, and you never have to be sure first.
The three big moves
If anything online makes you feel funny — a message, a question, a picture, a person — you do these three things, in this order. That is all. You do not have to work out whether it is really bad first.
STOP
Stop typing. Stop playing. You do not have to answer, and you do not have to be polite.
DON’T SHARE
No photos. No name. No address. No money. Nothing.
TELL
Go and find your grown-up and tell them. That is the whole job done. They take it from there.
You will never be in trouble for telling.
Not even a little bit. Not even if you broke a rule, or said yes to something, or sent something already, or did it days ago. Tricky people tell kids they will be in trouble, because they want you to stay quiet. It is not true. Your grown-ups will be glad you told them, and then they will sort it out — that is their job, not yours.
🧑🤝🧑 Who are your grown-ups?
Think of three people you could tell, so there is always someone around. Maybe a parent, a grandparent, and a teacher. Say their names out loud now, and remember them.
The photo trick
This one is worth knowing about before it ever happens, the same way you learn about crossing the road before you cross one on your own.
Some tricky people online try to get a photo of a kid with no clothes on. Then they say something frightening, like: “Give me money, or send me more photos, or I will show this to your whole school.”
And here is the newest part. Computers can now change a normal photo — a school photo, a holiday photo — to make it look like somebody has no clothes on. It never happened. The photo is a fake that a computer drew. Tricky people use those fakes to frighten kids who never sent anything at all.
If that ever happens to you, this is what is true:
It is not your fault. You have not done anything wrong, even if you did send a photo.
They are the one breaking the law. Not you. Grown-ups and police are on your side.
Never send money. Never send another photo. It never makes them stop — it makes them ask again.
Stop talking to them. Do not argue with them and do not say sorry to them.
Tell your grown-up straight away, even if you feel embarrassed. Especially if you feel embarrassed.
Grown-ups can get pictures taken off the internet. There are people whose actual job is doing that.
☎️ Kids Helpline — 1800 55 1800
Free, any time of the day or night, for kids aged 5 and up. You can call or text them about anything at all, even if you have not told anybody else yet. In Australia, if someone is in danger right now, the number is 000.
Safe or not safe to share?
Ten quick rounds. Sort each one into green, yellow or red. The same rule works for a robot and for a person you meet in a game — if it says who you are or where you are, it stays private.
The robot asks: “Can you tell me...”
My favourite colour?
Pick the right answer — 🟢 safe, 🟡 ask a grown-up, or 🔴 never tell a robot.
Keep going, Safety Superhero
There are four Golden Rules for using AI safely, with a printable pledge you can sign and stick on the fridge.
Grown-ups: the detailed guide, warning signs and reporting links.