Chat rooms (0)

The first and most important thing you need to realize about the Internet is that you can find anything and anyone on the Internet that you can find in the real world. The only difference is that in the Internet you have a greater deal of anonymity that you get in the real world.
Can chat rooms be dangerous ? Most definitely. Particularly channels that clearly are catering to younger children . Pedophiles go where the kids are, and that is just as true on the Internet as in the "real world".
Does that mean you should avoid all chat channels? Not at all. Just be aware of what you are doing and saying, and if you have small children , be sure to monitor their activity on the Internet.
There are several programs, as I recall, that allow parents to track what their children are seeing and doing while on-line.
One of the biggest threats on chat rooms is the presence of pedophiles, online stalkers and other predators always looking to exploit the vulnerabilities of pre-teens and young teens.
Chat room regulars can become easily disconnected from real-life activities and extra -curricular pursuits , leading to general aloofness, less contact with real-world friends and a gradual process of social disengagement.
Thats a good question. And it all depends on how responsible your child really is - and what kind of relationship you have with them .
Chat rooms are the most common place kids find themselves getting into trouble.
And it's important to remember that online predators often hang out in children's chat room and pass themselves off as a child in the hopes of getting some personal information from one or more of the children they find there .
Should you decide to let your child participate in chat or instant message sessions, you should insist that they use a monitored chat room moderated and rated G.
Spend some time in these chat rooms before letting your child go there, to ensure that they are what they seem to be - safe.
AOL & MSN both offer moderated chat rooms as well as do some other sites and ISP's.
The important point to remember however is that just because the chat room is monitored does not mean that it's 100% child safe.
If your child objects to your presence because of the lack of privacy, they may be trying to hide something from you.
We read more and more about the dangers found in chat rooms and on sites like MySpace.com, so it's not a problem that is going to go away any time soon. Your best bet as a concerned parent is to do your homework before letting your child go online, and routinely following up on what they are doing online.
It's as dangerous as having a conversation in a bar with strangers. Well, more dangerous because you can't see who you're talking to.
As long as you never give out personal information (your full name, your address, or any other identifiable information), then you should have little to worry about. Also, never download a file sent to you by someone you met in a chatroom. Even a picture . Have them post it on Flickr or another trusted picture site.
Finally , don't follow any links they send you. These could lead to a site infected with an exploit that will allow them to break into your computer. Even if you don't "download" anything from the site.
If you are smart about it, there's nothing wrong with hanging out in a chat room. But be careful.