[safety](https://safemeet.now/safety)

# Talking to strangers online: a guide for teens

Chatting with people you have never met can be fun, and most of them are just people. These are the few habits that keep it that way.

Updated October 23, 2026

## Keep these to yourself

The NSPCC's advice is not to share information with people you haven't met before: [your name, location, email, phone number and school name](https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/social-media/chat-apps/). Add your social handles to that list. Someone who needs them in the first few minutes wants something other than a conversation.

## Warning signs

- They ask for photos, especially nude ones, or say "I'll show you if you show me". It is on [NCMEC's list](https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/sextortion).
- They want to move the chat to another app straight away.
- They seem too perfect, or the romance moves very fast.
- Their age or story changes, or they dodge simple questions about themselves.
- They ask you to keep the chat secret from your parents or friends.

Common Sense Media's sample answer is a good one to borrow: [when anyone starts asking for pictures or personal information, it's a red flag](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/articles/how-to-talk-to-teens-about-dealing-with-online-predators), and you can block them and report them. You never have to explain why you left a chat.

## If something has already gone wrong

If someone has a photo of you and is threatening you, follow the [sextortion guide](https://safemeet.now/safety/sextortion): stop replying, do not pay, keep the messages, tell an adult you trust. NCMEC's [Take It Down](https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/) is free and helps remove images taken when you were under 18 without you uploading them.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, you can talk to someone right now, for free and in confidence. There are youth lines in many countries, such as Childline in the UK (0800 1111) and Kids Help Phone in Canada (1-800-668-6868); the full list is on [crisis helplines by country](https://safemeet.now/safety/crisis-resources).

## On SafeMeet

The minimum age is 13\. If you say you are 13 to 17, you are never matched with someone who said they are an adult, checked when you are matched and again before each message is delivered. Every message is checked before it is delivered, and the plainest requests for photos, such as "send nudes", are blocked instantly. In a chat with a person, Panic and Block sit in the chat header: Panic ends the chat and files a report. More in [how SafeMeet handles age](https://safemeet.now/guides/how-safemeet-handles-age).

## Questions teens ask

### Should I put my real age on SafeMeet?

Yes. If you are 13 to 17 and say so, you are never matched with someone who said they are an adult. If you claim to be older, that protection stops applying to you.

### I sent a photo and now they are threatening me. What do I do?

Stop replying, do not pay or send anything else, keep the messages, and tell an adult you trust. NCMEC’s Take It Down can help remove images taken when you were under 18 without uploading them. The sextortion guide has every step.

### Will I get in trouble if I tell someone?

The person threatening you is the one committing a crime. As NCMEC puts it, the blackmailer is to blame, not you, even if you made a choice you regret.

Sources checked on October 23, 2026: the NSPCC, Common Sense Media and NCMEC, each linked where it is cited.

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Source: https://safemeet.now/safety/teens