I frequently use the online 1-2-1 chats, but I don't want my parents to know. I do use Private Browsing, and once my dad came in and I pressed the Hide Page button, but when I tried to go back it said No Active Chat Session. I really need to keep my visits to Childline a secret from my family, but I have no idea how to do that when the Hide Page button cuts off my chat.
Thank you for reading this,
Sam
Hi there,
Keeping your visit to Childline private is really important - especially if you're telling us about people that might be hurting you at home who wouldn't want you to talk to us. Whatever the reason you want to keep your visit hidden, there a few things you can do.
You’re already using private browsing (also sometimes called "incognito" mode) which is when the websites you visit won’t be tracked on your computers history or cookies. It’s still good to clear cookies and history after visiting us even if you’re using these modes, just to be sure. Private browsing doesn’t stop your internet service provider (ISP) from knowing what pages you visited and it doesn't stop any other monitoring software from seeing what you’re doing.
Clicking the "hide page" button takes you to Google, which will end your chat. If you need to hide your chat window temporarily then you could always open a new tab or a new browser window with something else in it, and then switch to that when you want to hide the tab you're on. If you think they might check the tabs you've got open, it might be safer to close your chat and come back another time.
Some parents or carers might install web monitoring or blocking software. This might track where you’ve been and block you from visiting specific websites or types of sites. If this is happening, the best ways visit Childline on a library computer at your school or at a friend’s house who you trust.
You can also call us on the phone on 0800 1111. Calling Childline is free and doesn't show up on the phone bill. It will still be on your phone as a dialled number so be sure to clear your call history after finishing talking to us on the phone. You can call Childline even if you have no credit on your phone.
I hope this has helped, thanks for asking this as I know it's something lots of people want to know about.
Sam
Need help straight away?
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
Ask me a question
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
