Enrichment · Wellbeing

Friends you met online
can be real friends. Check anyway.

Plenty of good friendships start in a game or a group chat. This guide helps you look honestly at one of them: the warning signs to watch for, the settings and steps that keep you in control, and who you would tell. If something already feels wrong, it shows what to do first.

Check an online friendWhat you get

Online friends

The worked example is made up: a gaming friend of several months with no warning signs, and a new contact who in three days asked for secrecy from family, offered game credits and wanted to move apps. Check-ins save only on this device.

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What you get

Enrichment · WellbeingFree

What you finish with
A check-in per online friend with where you met, how long you have talked and whether you have met; nine warning signs marked seen, not seen or not sure; four safety steps; a trusted adult; what you will do next; a plain next step for every sign seen, meeting alone and sharing threats; warning signs counted for each friend.
Who it is for
Students in grades 5 to 12, and the parents, teachers and school counselors who talk with them about online friendships.
Format
Browser guide with a saved check-in per friend. Prints a check-in, all of them or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Wellbeing space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Pick one online friend and answer honestly; nobody else sees this.
  2. Mark each warning sign as seen, not seen or not sure.
  3. Read the next step for anything you marked seen.
  4. Check your privacy settings and learn how to block and report on the app.
  5. Tell a trusted adult, especially if anything feels off.

Check an online friend

If someone threatens you

If someone threatens to share an imageStopStop answering. Do not pay or send anything.SaveScreenshot the messages and the account name.TellTell a parent or another adult you trust, today.ReportNCMEC CyberTipline: report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678.RemoveTake It Down (takeitdown.ncmec.org) helps get images taken down.If someone threatens to share an imageStopStop answering. Do not pay orsend anything.SaveScreenshot the messages and theaccount name.TellTell a parent or another adultyou trust, today.ReportNCMEC CyberTipline:report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678.RemoveTake It Down(takeitdown.ncmec.org) helps get images taken down.
This is never your fault, and you are not in trouble for telling. The people who help with this have seen it many times and know what to do.

Why these signs

People who target young people online often follow a pattern: lots of attention and gifts, then secrets, then moving the chat somewhere private, then requests for photos or a meeting. Spotting the pattern early is the point of this guide. It is not about deciding someone is bad; it is about keeping you in control.

It is never your fault

If someone pressures you for images or threatens to share them, you have done nothing wrong by telling. Do not pay; paying rarely ends it. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children runs the CyberTipline and Take It Down, and a parent, teacher or school counselor can help you use them. If you ever feel unsafe, call or text 988.

Sources

  1. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sextortion: A Growing Threat Targeting Minors (fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety).
  2. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. CyberTipline (report.cybertip.org) and Take It Down (takeitdown.ncmec.org).
  3. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. NetSmartz online safety education (missingkids.org/netsmartz).
  4. Federal Trade Commission. Protecting Kids Online (consumer.ftc.gov).
  5. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (samhsa.gov/find-help/988).

The worked example is made up. This guide helps you think and talk with an adult; it does not judge anyone. If you are in danger, call 911. Call or text 988 any time. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.