Chat Room Safety

One of the most exciting features of the Internet is the way that people from all over the world, of all ages and backgrounds, can meet virtually in a way that would otherwise be impossible.

Using Chat Rooms

The Internet allows like minded people to meet in chat rooms and on forums where they can share news and views with a wide range of readers. While the ability to connect with others has had an extremely positive impact on many people's lives, there is an element of risk involved. This stems from the fact that the Internet is a very impersonal tool and that people often participate in chat room and forum discussions using pseudonyms and chat room abbreviations.

While using nicknames is often a friendly and fun thing to do, it also means that people are in reality anonymous. On the positive side, this anonymity means that a person's own information and personal details are kept safe, on the negative side it means that it is difficult to tell that people you meet online are who they say they are. Users of chat rooms do not know who they are talking to. This leads to some very real concerns about safety and can make chat rooms a worrying place for children and adults alike.

Chat Room Safety Rules

There are a few good common sense rules that will help ensure a safe and happy chat room experience:

Supervise Children

One of the biggest concerns regarding chat room safety is that children may meet undesirable people. The 12 year old girl that a youngster is 'chatting' to could turn out to me a middle aged man. Children should be supervised when using chat rooms, even specialist chat rooms for teens, and should be educated as to the risks.

Personal Information

Never give away any personal information when using a chat room. Some chat rooms and forums offer users a personal page where basic information can be provided. This information can be seen and used by anyone. Adults should be very aware before providing personal information and children should be taught never to enter personal information onto a chat room site or forum.

Look for Safety Policy

Many modern safe chat rooms are very aware of the issues surrounding chat room safety and have a clear policy that will be published on the website. This might include information such as who the site is aimed at, what form of moderation there is, what information is collected and who is able to join. This information will give users an idea as to the ethos of the website.

Moderated Chat Rooms and Forums

Some chat rooms and forums are moderated. Although moderators are normally volunteers, they are in a position of responsibility and will help to ensure that the chat room operates in a positive way. Problems should always be reported to moderators who have the ability to ban users if required.

Files and Attachments

Never accept any files or attachments that may accompany a chat room message. These could contain viruses or malware.

Emails and Phone Messages

Sometimes after chatting to someone online in a chat room or forum, continuing the discussions further on the telephone or via email can seem an attractive option. People should be very aware of the potential dangers of sharing this information. Location and addresses, for instance, can be gained from a land-line telephone number.

Save Questionable Messages

Users of chat rooms should know how to save any chat messages that they are worried about. These can be forwarded to the site moderator or other people in authority. Having this information is important when making a complaint because without it, a complaint is lacking in evidence.

Staying Safe When Using Chat Rooms

Used correctly chat rooms are a wonderful way to meet and talk with like minded people. Using chat rooms safely requires only a little extra knowledge and a lot of common sense!