Teens on Gaia~ be safe and enjoy!

Some tips for teens who are joining Gaia.

Gaia seems to be quite safe; specially as there are many of us here, who are watching to ensure that people do not engage in predatory or otherwise dangerous behaviors. Still, each of us needs to follow some safety rules; and I'd say many of them are not just for teens.


Never give out :

• full name
• home address
• phone number
• Social Security number
• passwords
• names of family members
• credit card numbers

• Your age  Gaia does not allow searching for members by age, so that is an in-built safety feature. Usually you can find people your age–or others can find you– by the profile interests, activities and so on. So, why write your age on your profile?

• Your photo or that of your family or friends. Definitely ask permission of family and friends before sharing their information on the web.
  

• You can end the conversation and inform a Team member or Ambassador. Don't worry if it seems rude. Better rude than unsafe.
  

• If it is an email that concerns you, forward it to a Team member or an  Ambassador. Ambassadors have a   button on their profiles.

Re: Teens on Gaia~ be safe and enjoy!

another resource:

Some information is okay to give out on the Web, like:

• your username
  (never give out your real name)
• your favorite food
• what you want to be when you get older
• how high you can jump

 For example, if someone had your password, they could use it to do things like reading your email or even ruining your computer!

Don't tell anyone:

• your real name
• your home address
• your phone number
• where you go to school
• your friends' or family members' private information
• where your parents work
• the name of your baseball or any other sports team
• your passwords
  (Your parents are the only people that should know your password!)

If you're ever unsure if you should keep some information about yourself private, or if it's okay to share it with cyberfriends, ask your parents or another adult. Don't send pictures of yourself to anyone and don't agree to meet a cyberfriend in person without asking your parents first.

Re: Teens on Gaia~ be safe and enjoy!

I posted my real name on my profile b/c that's what the Register window asked for. Should I take it off? (More importantly, can I take it off?)