Chat rooms should be a safe place to socialise online and have fun. All you need to do is use a bit of common sense when dealing with strangers online. There have been some shocking stories in the news and media about people who have been stalked, kidnapped and harassed by people they have met online. On the flip side to this there are many people who have found romance and even got married to someone they met in a chat room. So the best overall advice is to be very cautious when dealing with strangers online as you would be cautious meeting a stranger in real life. The “no registration required” chat rooms are self moderated, this means that you must take responsibility for your own safety and block messages from unwanted people yourself. Please see our Guide on how to Ignore/Block a Specific User.
Chat Room Safety Tips
These are some safety tips to abide by when using either our chat rooms or other chat sites across the Internet. Following these tips will help you to keep safe.
People you meet online might not be telling you the truth about who they really are
It is unwise to give out your contact information to strangers online. What’s stopping that person from sharing your contact information with other people? Before you know it you could be getting prank calls from numerous desperados
If you post a personal profile do not share any personal identifiable information on the profile such as email address, mobile phone number, home or school address – especially if your personal contact details can be accessible by people you don’t know
If you must share a way for them to contact you outside of Bollywood Chat, make it an email address that doesn’t contain your real name. Also make sure you have changed the settings of the email account to not send out your real name when you send them a message
Never give out your phone number to strangers online, especially your home phone number for obvious reasons!
Be careful what personal information you share about your friends. If they have shared that with you in confidence, you should not break that trust they have in you, by sharing their private information with others
Never arrange to meet a stranger from the Web. This could be dangerous.
However, if despite our advice you do decide to meet someone in person:
Always meet in a public place
Always tell someone where you are going and who you are meeting and when they can expect you home
Ideally take a friend with you, especially the first few times you meet
Do not go to their home nor invite them to yours until you feel you know them quite well
Take your mobile phone with you, make sure it is fully charged and that you have enough credit so that you can be reached, and also so that you can make a call in an emergency
Get someone to call you at a pre-arranged time to check everything is OK and give you an alibi should you wish to escape the meeting!
If you ever feel threatened by someone in a chat room leave the situation by logging out
You can also inform Bollywood Chat Admin about bad behaviour by Contacting Us. Make a note of their nick name and tell us what they did and when
Be careful when deciding to respond to a private message. Private conversations can end up being more personal than you like. If you wish to end a private conversation with someone and they do not respect your request to end the conversation you can always choose to Ignore/Block that person
Use a nickname for your username and not your real name. Make sure they can’t find out who you are by Googling your nickname or email address
Do not create a nickname that will attract the wrong kind of attention
Look out for your friends and do something if you think they are putting themselves into danger with reckless behaviour
Tell your parent or guardian if someone behaves in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable
More Online Safety Information
Here are some safety links from around the internet should you require further information.
Telephone Help Lines
Childline: 0800 1111, a free 24 hour helpline for children in the UK
