Chatting online

[Emma9900]

I’ve been chatting online to guys I don’t know quite a bit but I have never heard my friends talk about it. Is this normal? I feel like the only one. Thx!

[KierC]

Hi Emma, and welcome to the boards! I’m glad you’re here

You are not the only young person who talks to people online. That’s why there’s a lot of focus on internet safety education for young people these days, because a lot of young people are doing this. When you say you’re talking to guys online, do you mean in a friendship way or in a sexual or romantic way? Can you tell me a little bit about how it’s been going for you, and if you’ve been doing certain things to keep yourself safe while doing this?

It’s not bad or wrong of you either. Lots of people find meaningful connections talking to others online! What’s really important, though, is making sure you’re also protecting yourself and keeping yourself safe when you talk to people online. We have an article on internet relationship safety if you’d like to check it out: https://www.scarleteen.com/read/culture ... nships-net

We can’t be sure if your friends also do this or not, but I think if they do it is likely they’re just not talking about it for multiple reasons. It is viewed as a bit “taboo” sometimes, so if your friends also do it they might feel weird about talking about it and want to keep it to themselves (even though it’s okay to talk about with friends). It’s likely they also might feel like they’re the only ones who do this, too. Know what I mean?