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You may well pride yourself on being street wise, but how web-wise are you?

Newspapers have stories about children using chat rooms and the Internet in general. Some people have been making use of chat rooms to lure children and young people into dangerous situations.

It's easy to remain anonymous on the web and this can encourage some people to make up things up about themselves, even passing off someone else's face as their own.

It’s difficult to judge if someone is genuine, especially as you cannot see the person. This is why you should be cautious and not give too much away about yourself, family or friends.

Your instincts will help you decide whether what another person is saying is odd or not quite right – this is your self-defence, telling you something is wrong. It is important to trust these instincts and let your parent or guardian know when you think something is wrong. Instinct works best when you can see or hear a person, but obviously when talking to someone on the web it is not always possible to do this so it is important to be even more alert.

Here are six useful tips to help you become web-wise:

• Don't give out personal details, photographs, or any other information that could be used to identify you, such as your address, your school or information about your family. 
• Don't take other people at face value - they may not be what they seem. 
• Never arrange to meet someone you've only ever previously met on the Internet without first telling your parents, getting their permission and taking a responsible adult with you. 
• Always stay in public areas of a chat room and where there are other people around. 
• Don't open an attachment or download a file unless you know and trust the person who has sent it.
• Never respond directly to anything you find disturbing - save or print it, log off and tell an adult.

Remember, you’re in control in a chat room, you don’t have to talk to anyone you don’t want to.

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