Stranger Danger Goes Online

Lesson script (for the kid, with a grown-up nearby)

You already know what to do when a stranger talks to you at the playground or the grocery store. You don't go anywhere with them. You don't take anything from them. You stay close to your grown-up. You know that.

Here's the part we're learning today: the same rules work online. The same exact rules. The internet might feel different because you're at home, on a tablet or a computer, but a stranger online is still a stranger.

What counts as a stranger online?

A stranger is anyone you have not met in real life. Even if you've talked to them a lot in a game. Even if you play with them every day on Roblox or Minecraft or Fortnite. Even if they say they're a kid like you. If you haven't met them in person — in real life, at school, at your house — they're a stranger.

This is hard, because someone you've talked to for a long time online can feel like a friend. And maybe they are a friend. But a friend you haven't met in real life is still in the “stranger” box for safety rules. That's the rule.

The four things to never do with online strangers

Never tell them where you live or where you go to school. (We learned this in Lesson 1.)

Never send them pictures of yourself. Not videos, not selfies, not pictures of your house. If they ask, the answer is no, and then you tell a grown-up.

Never agree to meet them in person. Not at the park. Not at a store. Not anywhere. If they ask, you tell a grown-up right away. Not later. Right away.

Never keep them a secret from your grown-ups. If a friend online asks you to keep them secret from your mom or dad, that's the biggest red flag. Real friends are okay with your family knowing about them. People who want you to keep them secret have a reason — and it's not a good reason.

What if a stranger is nice?

Lots of strangers are nice. That's true in real life and online. But the rule isn't “only avoid strangers who are mean.” The rule is “the same safety rules apply to all strangers, even nice ones.” Because we can't tell who's nice and who's pretending.

If a stranger online is being really friendly really fast, sending you lots of compliments, or telling you you're more grown-up than other kids your age — that's a moment to tell your grown-up. It might be fine. It might not be. Your grown-up will help you figure out which.

Recap

Stranger online = stranger in real life. Same rules. Don't share where you are, don't send pictures, don't meet up, don't keep strangers secret from your grown-ups.