Chat rooms

Chat rooms are a simple and increasingly popular form of communication for adults and for kids. They provide a basic interface to allow users to type messages to one another in real time, and are thus popular with children. Regrettably, predators know this as well. Therefore, chat rooms are especially dangerous to young children and to teenagers. Consider the following tips and pointers in relation to chat rooms:

1. Do NOT provide your personal information to others in a chat room.

2. Do NOT consent to meet a stranger who you have met in a chat room.

3. Choose a chat username that does not reveal your personal information. ie. you might use BigBrian instead of NewYorkBrian.

4. Be very wary of other chat users who want you to meet in another private chat room, instead of chatting where you are.

5. Make sure the chat site has privacy information, terms and conditions, a reasonable code of conduct, etc. before you start to chat.

6. Monitor the use of chat by your children. Be aware that there are many ways kids can chat including chat Web sites, chat programs, mobile phones, and even a number of online games.

7. Make sure your children understand that if something in a chat room starts to make them feel uncomfortable, they must immediately leave and inform an adult.

8. Ensure that children never send images of themselves to anyone they come across in a chat room.

9. Learn the chat language. Chatters often shorten longer phrases by using shorthand. As an example, ROTFL means "Rolling on the floor laughing" and POS means "Parent over Shoulder."

10. Make sure kids only use moderated chats.

11. Evaluate and use software tools which are created to help keep your kids safer online.