Your Parents and TheSite Boards/Chat - Do They Know?

independent_

Hello everyone.
In chat, I was suddenly interupted by my dad tonight. I frantically typed something along the lines of ahhhhhhh, my dad's coming in... Luckily I was on my phone so was easy to hide. Rosie (who was moderating the General Chat session) asked me if my parents knew I used chats. I said no, they'd freak. She then suggested posting a topic on the boards asking if other people's parents knew about young people using TheSite or other support services, and live TheSite chats. And if they did, how people told them. It would be interesting to know what people think.
Do your parents know you use TheSite? Boards, chats, etc?
Do your friends know?
If they do, then how did you tell them?
If they don't, why? If you think they'd freak or for some other reason?
Just out of curiosity.
Thanks in advance.
Elle.

Former Member

My parents know that i use the site.org but they dont really know what it is - they thinki only use it as a part of my voluntary role with this site as a commenting moderator but i really use the live chats and boards to gain support for myself and one of my friends know after she nearly became a support chat moderator on here but she decided that the role wasnt for her and personally i believe if i told my parents that i use live chats on here to talk about my problems then they would freak out and ask me tonnes of things such as confidentiallity, safeness of the site etc.

Former Member

My parents don't know I use thesite but I ended up telling them I used a moderated website once (when they were quizzing me about using online websites for help). And they were like still you need to be careful etc. and basically they aren't even too keen on me telling my psychologist stuff as they want me to tell them everything, never mind people online.

Additionally even if I felt they wouldn't mind me using thesite I wouldn't tell them, as I have posted a lot of things I wouldn't want them to find out about.

As it is mum already asks me all the time when I'm on the computer 'your not on any funny websites are you'.

I kinda told a couple of my friends about thesite and some are a bit like you need to be careful and why would you want to tell people online when you have us and your parents but I just can't confide in them!

My mentor at uni (I have due to my MH struggles) i told her last week and thought she would react badly but she said that's great, and it's good that you can peer support too, she says my parents are probably more old school about it. I was surprised by her reaction to be honest, but she's like late 20s so much younger than my parents (she's a PhD psychology student at my uni).

JustV

Hmmm... interesting thread.

Back in ye old days when I was a user, only a couple of people knew I used TheSite so it was largely a (for want of a better word) secret. It wasn't because I thought parents or close friends would freak out or anything, I just needed the space to be mine. Wasn't too prepared to answer questions and get my safe space invaded, particularly by people I knew wouldn't understand things like this community does.

Interestingly, even when I got this apprenticeship and took on all the volunteer roles, I kept referring to YouthNet and not TheSite so I still don't know if they know it exists!

I kinda told a couple of my friends about thesite and some are a bit like you need to be careful and why would you want to tell people online when you have us and your parents but I just can't confide in them!

I got a similar reaction - funny how a lot of people seem to find the prospect of online support almost a bit intimidating. Maybe high awareness of online safety and security has something to do with it? :chin:

Former Member

No one knows I use this and I guess that's just because I'm a really private person. I don't know, it's just like here is a place I don't feel like I have to hide anything and if someone knew I was on here I probably wouldn't use it. And also, here, people don't push for you to tell them things, were I know that with my parents they wouldn't stop asking questions till I answered. Plus I know that my family, especially my sister, would go hunting down anything I've ever posted if she knew I was on here.

Former Member

My family know I use this, Mainly because I've won prizes from competitions here and they've been sent to my house, but also because I met friends from here and stayed with them for a week so my parents needed to know where I met them

Hann

My mum knows, mainly because the first quiz I took part in, I needed her help, and i briefly rambled to her what it was.

Former Member

I just joined this site yesterday and I do not plan on telling anyone because my parents would question the "safety" of it and I would rather not have people I know seeing what I say here; not because I'm ashamed but because I already feel this place is sort of special/personal and would rather not have them looking at everything I say.