Its safe...to an extent. People with malicious intent can still do you harm even here. I suggest getting an anti-virus software and a firewall and being careful to whom you give your data to.
Also, we are talking about virus and technical security, but people often forget about general security.
-Don't give too much info on yourself unless you fully trust that person
-If you're a minor, be careful of certain convos and contacts
-Don't give away your ip, pictures, e-mail, location, age, real name, credit card numbers, etc etc
-*** is not a topic here in NB, so beware of people who may be trying to push a conversation that way.
But most importantly, be smart and careful!!! ^^