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Chat rooms: are they safe?
My young teenage children are often in 'chat rooms' but I don't know much about them. Can you give me some advice please? I'm really worried about security. My children say they're safe - I'm not so sure.
iVillager Gilmore00
Chat rooms are meeting points, where people can 'chat' by typing in messages that appear almost instantly.
The process is similar to sending and receiving email, however, everyone who's chatting can see the conversations, and these conversations take place in 'real time' - i.e. live, as it happens.
The chat room system means you can hold live discussions on any topic you like with people from around the world. There are chat rooms devoted to business, education, hobbies and a host of other subjects.
Children and teenagers, in particular, love chat rooms because of the speed and style of communication. It's fast, they can joke around, swap information on homework and discuss whatever takes their fancy.
They could, of course, post messages on any number of boards which promote and encourage teenage interests. Websites like Teenfront have thriving boards, where, like notice/bulletin boards on walls, messages are posted and responded to at different times. They don't, however, have the instant gratification of chat rooms.
Chat rooms are a computerised version of a conference telephone call. No one can see you, so it's easy to lie about your identity - which is where the danger lies. What seems like a conversation between two teenagers could, in fact, be a chat between a teenager and an adult.
The veiled nature of chat rooms allows dangerous characters to prey on children. The grim case of Patrick Green, who lured and raped a 13-year-old girl he met on a Yahoo chat room, serves as a terrible warning.
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