Pretending to be someone else

It's important to remember that you are in charge when you’re online and can choose the people you want to talk to.

Whenever you sign on in a chat room you have to give yourself an alias or nickname. Pretending to be someone else is part of the fun and just like you can play the part of someone else on the stage in a play, or take on a role in a game, so it is possible to take on another role online.

However, be careful as it is difficult to know when someone is pretending and having fun or lying and wanting to be cruel. So it is always best to stay on the side of caution and if you feel uncomfortable with the way a conversation is going you have several options:

• Stop and leave the Chat room
• Block the person who is making you uncomfortable so they can no longer contact you
• If it is really serious, then you can report them to the Chat host
  If someone is pestering you to meet up or hassling you it may be that they aren't the nice person they say they are and may be lying about their age, interests, and even their sex.
  

Just like individuals can lie on line, so organisations and companies can also mislead you. Just because someone has put something up on a website doesn't mean it is true. Also many advertising banners pop-ups and links can be misleading. Being safe online means you need to ask questions and check whether information on websites is true.