Chat Safety Guidelines

Safety On the Internet

Support4hope was created two years ago, because of the lack of safe, family oriented, and friendly sites on the net and to help educate the world about mental health and all of it's many issues. We have tried to promote positivity, offer friendship, support and safety to those whom are surviving these disorders, the family of these survivors, and are in need of obtaining information on these disorders so they can begin to understand the importance of support, and togetherness as a family through these trying times for all involved.

After the creation of Support4hope, we found there are so many people in need of support, not just people who have disorders, but people that are having problems with teen issues, both the parents and teens, we also have people who are going through chronic pain diseases, such as fibromyalgia, and the depression and anxiety that accompanies such a disease, we also have guests that are battling an abusive relationship, whether it is children in an abusive home, spouse abuse, and many other areas too numerous to mention. Because of the safety and family oriented environment we have promoted since the creation of our site, we have gathered a lot of wonderfully supportive guests, and it is as though our group is growing, and word is getting around about our site, and how closely we enforce our rules to keep people safe from the things that are allowed to go on at a lot of the other sites.

Since we have grown more popular in so many areas and viewed by so many people, I would like to take this opportunity to try to educate our younger visitors about staying safe on the internet. As hard as it is to say, this world is not a safe one to live in any longer, with people using the net to gather information about young, trusting users. Even though we warn our children of the dangers that could occur on the net, they are still very trusting of people. One thing they do not understand is that people are not telling the truth, if someone says they are the same age as they are, they automatically think, "Why would someone lie about that?"

The reason for this section of our site is to try to help your children stay safe, because no matter what we tell our children, the filth of the planet can come up with something to contradict what we say. Even though we warn our children, children are still being kidnapped, some are even kidnapped right out of their own homes, some right in front of their house, no child is safe from these people who seek our children for whatever sick reason, and want to hurt them. It is up to us as parents/guardians, to try to educate our children as much as we can to try to prevent them from the horrible things that have happened to some of our children. These things are happening more and more, and criminals are getting harder and harder to catch...our children are disappearing without a trace, this world is just TOO big to try to find one small child when a criminal has bad intentions. So let's all work together and try to keep our children safe.

If you think your child is safe, and there is no problem with them being alone on the net, because they can take care of themselves, this might be a good thing to know. In a survey of 100 children between the ages of seven and seventeen, 40 of these children openly admitted they were sent messages that were very upsetting and embarrassing to them, but they were afraid to report it to their parents for fear of being taken away from the computer. Your child could possibly be one of these 40 children.

Below are Rules for Parents and for Children on Online Safety. We hope they help you in some way to keep your children safe from the predators that comb the internet looking for our children.

A Few Rules For Parents/Guardians.

1. Try to make sure your computer is in a room where you can view the conversation at any time. If they get upset with you about trying to see the conversation they are having, then it probably means it is a conversation they should not be having.

2. Always encourage them to talk to you, no matter what the circumstances are. Let them know you will be there for them if they need you, and you will keep them safe if they feel someone is trying to harm them. If you do not have this type of trust with your child, there is a huge chance they will keep something from you that could cost them their lives.

3. Become familiar with the places your child visits on the internet. If you feel the site is not a good place for your child to be because of conversation you see going on, do not hesitate to tell them it is time to find another chat to visit...if possible, work with your child and find some safe sites for them to come to.

4. If your child would like to meet one of their online friends, make sure you are involved. Make sure your child is to meet them in a public place with parents from both sides present to ensure parties are safe from harm.

5. Get to know the friends your child talks to on the net, just as you would the friends they hang out with at home.

6. Always encourage your child to come to you if something happens on the net that makes them feel uncomfortable.

7. If you are ever in doubt of something, call your local police department. It is always better to be safe than to be sorry you didn't later.

15 Rules To Online Safety

1. Never take people for telling the truth about who they say they are. People on the net can be anyone they want to be. Someone with bad intentions will tell you anything you want to hear to gain your friendship. They will say they are the same age as you, if you are having problems with your parents, they will try to gain your trust by trying to help you, or say they are having the same problems with their parents. These people can also obtain pictures on the net, for example, they could be a man wanting to hurt you, but send you a picture of a 13 year old girl saying that is who they are, to gain your trust.

2. Never give our personal information that will lead anyone to your area. Do not give our any information, real name, nick names, brother and sister's or other family member names, school or church you attend, or another example of information dangerous to give out would be a nearby park you visit when you go out for a walk, or mention the city you live in. Giving the state you live in is dangerous enough, but to give the city is more than dangerous, it could be deadly.

3. Never give out pictures of yourself on the net. This goes without saying, people can see what you look like, and will be able to find you more easily. Please, by all means, never send out your picture on the net, this is so very dangerous.

4. Don't get on the internet without your parents. Always make sure your parents are close by, and if you go to a chat room or talk on instant messenger, make sure your parents are close by if talking to someone other than family.

5. Stay in chat rooms that are closely monitored for trouble. A moderator can watch over the chat to make sure the chat is safe and positive. If there is trouble and there is a moderator present, tell them what is going on, if someone says something that makes you feel uncomfortable, tell them what is going on, if they do not help you, tell your parents to write to the person running the site, if the moderator, or administration does not assure you and your parents the situation will be taken care of, find another chat room to attend.

6. Stay in the open chat where your conversation can be viewed by everyone in the chat. This will keep other users from trying to take advantage of you.

7. Never tell anyone you are alone. Never tell anyone that you are home alone, or that your parents work certain hours regularly, etc. or what hours you are home and can use the computer "privately" ...this means they know when you are alone on a regular basis and this is dangerous.

8. Exit the chat room with the first sign of trouble. If someone gets nasty with you, trying to pick arguments, or saying things that make you feel uncomfortable, if you are talking in a chat room, talk to your parents immediately, so this person can be reported, or they can be with you when you put the person on block. Chats can be fun when the chat has a lot of good people in it, but one person wanting to create trouble can cause problems for everyone in the chat, and the best thing to do is put them on ignore, or exit the chat as soon as you see problems starting.

9. Do not give our your Instant Messenger nicks in an open forum or chat. This will give someone that doesn't have good intentions a chance to get your nick and cause problems for you.

10. Always set the safety features on your Instant Messenger Service. Have your parents set up your instant messenger system to where you can only be sent messages from people who are on your buddy list, and that all people have to be approved before messages are allowed to come through to you. Make sure your profile is not inviting to people you do not know.

11. Never put personal information in the Instant Messenger Profile section. Make sure the name, state, etc are left blank. If you want to write your interests, like favorite school sports, etc be careful not to list any information others will find inviting for bad intentions.

12. Remember, not everyone who says they want to help you, REALLY wants to help you. Even though someone says they want to help you, sometimes their intentions are very bad, and they are wanting to gain your trust and cause harm to you. As bad as this sounds, it is very true, and these people can and will hurt you.

13. Try keeping all chats in the chat rooms in the open. If someone wants to talk with you in private, tell them you would rather get to know them before chatting in private with them. If it is something they cannot discuss in open with everyone watching the conversation, in a lot of cases, it is usually something that could put you in danger.

14. If you need help, please go to the proper place in your immediate area. Some people will take advantage of a young person who is having problems, and try to gain your trust that way. If you are having problems with your parents, and you need someone to talk to, try being honest with them (your parents) and try to tell them how you feel. If you feel they aren't listening, try talking to a guidance counselor in your school, or a teacher you trust. Please do not try to discuss this with strangers you do not know on the net.

16. Do NOT use webcams with strangers on the net. You will allow strangers with bad intentions to see your home, and allow them in your home without realizing it.

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