Stay safe online

A teenager who was manipulated and threatened by a man online has spoken out about her experience to help raise awareness of the potential dangers of the internet.
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was 13 when she accepted a chat request from a name she didn't recognise because he said he knew one of her friends.
The man gained the girl's trust before blackmailing her into exposing herself via a web cam attached to her home computer.
Now recovered from her ordeal, the brave teenager has agreed to speak out to help warn other young people about the potential dangers of social networking sites like Bebo, Facebook, Myspace and MSN.
Ds Lee Morton from the Police Online Investigation Team said: "The most dangerous thing you can do is add people you do not know.
"If you are adding people you do not know you have no idea who they are - they could be anybody."
"Young people should not suffer internet abuse in silence. This type of abuse can be reported to the police or the Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre (CEOP)."
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) is part of UK police and works to make the internet a safer place for children by tracking and bringing offenders to account.
You can report internet abuse to them using the 'report abuse' button on their website.
CEOP also works with children to highlight the dangers of the internet through their educational campaign Thinkuknow.
Social networking sites are also working to educate their users of the potential dangers and encourage them to report abuse of any kind.
Facebook, Bebo, My Space and MSN all carry a 'panic button' or application allowing children and teenagers to report abuse to CEOP.

Category:

Education

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