The risks of online chat and video chat
Online bullying and other types of abuse
Not everyone is respectful online. There is a risk that you could be bullied or abused while using online chat or video calling services. This can be especially difficult to deal with if you don’t know the person or their profile is anonymous.
Read more about cyberbullying and adult cyber abuse to find out how to manage the impacts if this happens to you or someone you know.
‘Sextortion’ and other types of image-based abuse
Sharing an intimate image or video without the consent of the person shown is a type of image-based abuse and is illegal. Threatening to share it is also illegal. Even if you are using a private messaging service, someone may share your messages or images without your consent.
If you are involved in sexual activity during a video chat, the call could be recorded without you knowing by taking a screen capture (‘capping’), then shared without your consent. For example, an ex-partner could upload the video to a public online page, or a scammer could try to blackmail you for money or more nudes by threatening to share a recording of the call with your contacts.
Learn more about image-based abuse and how to deal with sexual extortion.
Unwanted contact or contact from strangers
Unwanted contact is any type of online communication that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe or harassed. It can be with a stranger or someone you know. You may welcome the contact at first, until the other person says or does something you don't like.
Online chat and video calls make it easy to contact you, or drop in on your group. Check your privacy settings are on if you would prefer not to receive unwanted contact from people. You can usually block callers, but they might try to call you again from a different account or using another service. When using video calling, think about the details in your background as they could unintentionally share your location.
Make sure you are careful about how well you really know your online ‘friends’. It’s easy for people to lie online, including those who trick children and young people into thinking they’re in a close relationship.
Look out for things that don’t add up – for example, if someone says, ‘my webcam is broken’, this may indicate that they are trying to scam, deceive or catfish you with a fake profile.
Another example might be a user whose online profile is not consistent with what you see and hear when you talk or chat with them.
Learn more about unwanted or unsafe contact, identity theft, catfishing, cyberstalking and online scams.
Impacts on your digital reputation
Photos from a party might be OK for close friends to see but you might not feel comfortable if they are shared more widely. Think before you share something and ask yourself, would you want anyone to see this in five years’ time?
Be aware that any type of online or video chat you have with someone could be recorded using screen capture (‘capping’) techniques, then shared with others. Remember that once a message, photo or video has been shared online, you may not be able to control where it goes or how long it stays online.
Learn more about your digital reputation and how your digital footprint is created by all the things you say and do online.
Sharing too much personally identifiable information
Your personally identifiable information is any information, or ‘data’, that helps to identify you or how to find you – like your address, phone number or account login details. If you share a lot of this information online, it might be used inappropriately by other people and put you at risk of having your identity stolen or being doxed – this is when someone shares your personally identifiable information without your consent, on purpose.
You can make different types of personal information on your social media accounts private so that only certain people or friends can see these details.
There might be situations where you need to have a public profile, such as for work or to interact with a celebrity – remember, you have the option to switch between private and public profiles across many social media platforms. Take a look at The eSafety Guide for information about how to update your privacy settings across online platforms and apps, including common ones like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
Learn more about identity theft, doxing and how to manage your digital safety settings.
