Ages 8+ · Digital Life · Staying safe
A stranger in the chat
📷a picture🏠where you live🤫a secret⏰hurry🎁a free gift
Five stop signs.The big ideaSome people online are not who they say. Spot the stop signs.
How it works
Some people online are not who they say. Nice words are easy to type.
Stop signs mean slow down and tell someone.
Not every message is a stop sign: 'What level are you?' is just game talk.
If a message sounds strange out loud, stop and ask a grown-up.
Example 1: Ines's chat
- The silver star player asked for a picture, where she lives and said, 'Do not tell your dad.'
- It also said, 'Answer now! Hurry!' and offered a gift.
- That is all five stop signs: picture, address, secret, hurry and gift.
Example 2: Hugo's player
- A player asked for Hugo's school's name.
- A school's name is private from players online.
- Hugo told his mom, and she helped him block the player.
Example 3: Read it out loud
- Ines read a strange message out loud to Waffles the parrot.
- Out loud, it sounded strange.
- If it sounds strange out loud, stop and ask a grown-up.
Example 4: Free gems
- A player offered Tomas free gems if he told no one.
- He told Dad instead, and Dad made pancakes.
- Telling a grown-up is always safe.
Words to know
- stranger
- Someone online you have never met.
- stop sign
- A clue in a message that means slow down and tell someone.
- block
- A button that stops a player messaging you.
- report
- A button that tells the game to take a look.
Watch out
- A picture is private, because once it is sent, anyone can pass it on.
- A safe person is fine if a grown-up knows, so 'Do not tell your parents' is the biggest stop sign.
- Tell even if you answered once. You are never in trouble for telling.
- Your name, home and phone are private online, and safe players never need them.
Try it
- A player says 'Send me a picture of you!' Stop sign, or game talk?
- A player asks 'What level are you?' Stop sign, or game talk?
- Why is 'Do not tell your parents' the biggest stop sign?
- You answered once. Should you still tell?
Answers: 1. A stop sign · 2. Game talk · 3. A safe person is fine if a grown-up knows · 4. Yes
Try at homeTogether with a grown-up, find how to block and report a player in your game.
For grown-upsFind the block and report buttons in your child's game together, and agree that a strange message always gets shown to you.