Because not all adults in the world and on the internet remember to be appropriate around children and older kids, there are some security and privacy rules that we need to be aware of.

#1:  UNDERSTAND:  Many websites have rules about how old you must be to use their site, or have areas or features on their site that kids can use, and other areas or features that only older kids or adults can use.  These rules are to help your teachers and parents/guardians make sure that you are protected, safe and not allowed to see or use information that is not appropriate for younger people to see, read, or hear.  PLEASE respect these rules.  DO NOT on purpose or without your parents'/legal guardian's permission, "override" these safeguards by entering the wrong year of birth, or saying you are older than you actually are.  Some of these rules are actually LAWS.  Be responsible and respectful.

• for instance:  a site may require your parents/legal guardians to answer an email giving you permission to use the site if you are under 13 years old or maybe under 16 years old.  It will ask you to enter their email address and give you limited or no access until your parents answer the email.  If the site asks for a parent/guardian email, do not enter an email address that does not belong to your parent/guardian. Be patient and wait until your parents/guardians have a chance to review and approve it.

#2:  NEVER give out any of your private, personal information to any website without checking in with your teachers and/or parents/guardians. 

• for instance: don't share your full date of birth, home address or school you attend, full name, phone numbers, photographs or pictures of yourself unless a parent/guardian or teacher says the site is safe to do so.

#3:  READ ALL POP-UP MESSAGES and hyper-link text CAREFULLY before clicking on ANY buttons or links.  

• • for instance:  the Scratch Coding app allows you to record sound, but it will ask permission first before accessing your microphone on your computer/device.  IF you don't read the question and just cancel out or click "block", you could accidentally block the app from accessing the microphone!  (ask me how I know this...)

  • also for instance:  Games or app download sites often also have advertisers who create buttons to click that say "Download" or "Start" that don't actually download or start the game you wanted, but instead download the app that they want to sell you, or take you to a site to show you the products to buy.  SOME websites are based in other contries that don't have the same laws/rules as the United States.  And, other scarry/mean/criminal people may try to trick you into clicking on links that will download viruses or malware (short for malicious software) that can give permission to steal information off of your computer/device, OR destroy your computer/device!  BE CAREFUL! They just might be "phishing" for info they can use to steal or destroy!

#4:  When using sites that allow you to chat or engage with other users/players, BE CAREFUL!  Not everyone is who they say they are.  

• • for instance: Some of the coding sites let you share your awesome creations with others, and other users can leave you comments about what they think about what you created. Be very suspicious if anyone starts asking personal questions, or asks for your phone numbers, and of course, if anyone says anything that feels like bullying or makes you uncomfortable, let a trusted adult know immediately and then block the user.