Hi Sam! Well, i met a boy online around 6 months ago; a lot of relationships start online these days haha. But yeah, we Skype a lot and he's really nice, also my age (We both leave school this year)... He lives 2 hours away from me and I really want to go and see him, I just don't know how to ask my parents? :/ xx
Sam
Hi
Its good to hear from you. It sounds like youre really pleased that your relationship is going well and its great that youre happy.
Its very reassuring to hear that you want your parents to know you are thinking about meeting this boy. As youve mentioned, many relationships start online now, but it is still really important to be very cautious about meeting up with someone youve met online. You may be regularly talking to someone online but you cant really get to know them in the same way you would a friend you have met face to face. You can never be sure that a person is who they really say they are. I can see that you chat with each other on Skype, so you may have made video calls, but even that is not complete proof that someone is being honest with you about their identity. Its possible for people to create really convincing fake profiles on social networks, and to disguise their voice and appearance on phone and video calls.
If you do decide to meet up with this boy then you need to plan it carefully, so you can do it as safely as possible. You must make sure a trusted adult know your plans for the meeting, and Id also strongly encourage you to take an adult with you. You need to think about where the meeting will happen. Go to a familiar public place, like a café or a restaurant, so that you wont be on your own if you feel uncomfortable at any point.
If you can suggest a plan to your parents that shows youve thought about keeping safe, they may be more likely to agree to it. It might be that they need a bit of time to get used to the idea that youve met someone online, if they dont already know anything about him. If this boy is a genuinely kind and caring person then he will want you to feel safe and comfortable about meeting him. If he tries to pressure you into meeting him in private, or without telling your parents, I would be seriously concerned about his intentions.
If you need someone to talk to about keeping safe online then you can talk to one of the Childline counsellors. I would also encourage you to look at thinkuknow which gives information about how to keep safe when chatting online. It outlines some of the common dangers and who to talk to if anything does go wrong.
Take care
Sam
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