Board Thread:News and Announcements/@comment-27028390-20150604220540/@comment-26235098-20150610133304

Imamadmad has good points, both about being judged, and regarding safety.

The safety thing is paramount for those under 18.

There really are a lot of twisted people on the internet, unfortunately. There are twisted  people period, in the world, but the internet allows them to pose as people they are not... they can adopt younger profiles especially. Many predators are also charming, funny, make you feel safe sharing. This is true of RL ones too, but on the internet, you have much less verifiable info to go on, so it is harder to see them for what they are  So, to be safe, it would be best not to share personal info with someone you only know over the internet, at least until you've known them a good long time (six months, a year even).

It isn't like meeting someone physically, when you can tell at least roughly what age they are. At that point, it's pretty safe to trade notes about the specifics, the give-or-take-a-year.

Best not to give out identity specifics or location info either... general is ok, i.e. country/region. But not your address, or which school you attend, that sort of thing.