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Staying safe online - Deaf Zone
The internet is great. It can help you find information and chat to friends. But sometimes things happen that you don't like, or that you're unsure about. Get tips on how to stay safe online and where to get help.
keeping safe online
When we're online, we can:
- learn about people and places around the world
- play games and share things with other people
- watch, chat and sign to friends we know, and people we don't know.
It's easy to chat to new people on the internet. Sometimes chatting to strangers can be fun. But it's important to be careful - you never really know who you're chatting to.
Sometimes people might:
- write nasty things
- write things that make us feel uncomfortable
- show us things we didn't want to see, like rude photos or things our parents wouldn't want us to see.
If someone is doing something you don't like, you can make it stop. And Childline can help.
3 ways to stay safe online:
- keep your personal details private
- don't meet people you don't know
- don’t share anything you wouldn’t want your parents or teachers to see.
How to Stay Safe Online
Online safety tips
PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY
Don’t upload pictures that can easily identify you. For example, don’t use photos which include your:
- school name or school badge
- sports club
- home address.
Photos can be seen by people you don't know online.
THINK BEFORE YOU POST
Once you upload a photo of yourself, your photos can be copied and shared with everyone and posted in places where you can’t delete them.
Only upload photos you feel okay sharing and don’t upload pictures of friends without their permission.
If you’re worried about something you’ve posted and want to talk to someone about it, we can support you.
KEEP YOUR PASSWORD PRIVATE
When you create a new password, like the one for your Locker, it can be hard to pick something you can remember.
Your passwords are private. Try to:
- choose something that others wouldn't be able to guess
- use a mix of numbers and letters
- keep your password somewhere safe.
BE CAREFUL WHO YOU CHAT TO
You don't really know who people are online. If someone contacts you or a friend with weird or nasty messages:
- don’t give out personal details (like your number or home address)
- stop replying, and save the messages they send you
- tell someone you trust, like a parent or teacher, and show them what you've been sent
- don’t arrange to meet them.
get involved with the deaf community
If you'd like to meet other d/Deaf young people, there are a few places to get started.
- The Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD) run services that support young d/Deaf people, such as mentoring.
- British Deaf Association (BDA) has lots of information for d/Deaf young people including the Deaf Roots and Pride Project.
- National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) has a website called Buzz, where you can get to know other young d/Deaf people.
feeling
threatened
…what can I do?
chat or sign to a counsellor
There are lots of ways to get support from Childline if you're deaf. You can have a 1-2-1 chat, send a message to a counsellor or use SignVideo.
Using BSL with SignVideo
SignVideo lets you contact a counsellor through a BSL interpreter. You can use it between Monday – Friday, 8am - 8pm and on Saturdays, 8am - 1pm.
How to use SignVideo:
- open SignVideo and click "allow webcam"
- if an error message appears that says that your browser is not supported, just click 'close and don't show again'.
- when you're connected, an interpreter will appear on your screen
- you can chat to the interpreter in BSL
- they'll translate your conversation to the counsellor.
Want to phone more than once?
Whenever you phone Childline, we’ll keep some confidential notes about what you’ve told us. If you phone again using SignVideo, you can ask Chlidline to find those notes.
To make sure we can find what you’ve spoken to us about before, you’ll need to share a few details about yourself with Childline. This includes things like your name and how old you are.
Helping us find your notes can stop you feeling like you have to repeat yourself, but that’s always your choice. Even if you don’t want to share details about yourself, you can keep contacting us using SignVideo any time.
Contacting Childline when you’re d/Deaf
Overcoming challenges if you're deaf
Contacting Childline
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