Dangers of the Chatroom

"Nearly one in five of American youths who surfed the net
 regularly were the targets of unwanted sexual attention".
According to a study published in the 
Journal of the American Medical Association


Unfortunately everyone needs to know the dangers of using a chatroom before logging in. There are many people out there that aren’t signing in just to talk to people with the same interests. Chatrooms are easy for everyone to access and therefore are an area that child predators use. You could be talking to a predator and think that they are a friendly person just like you. This is a key point when it comes to chatroom safety. You must understand that chatrooms aren’t like talking to your friends, you are talking to complete strangers. Even though it can feel like you know this person as well as your best friend you really don’t know anything. Many people don’t understand these risks and are led into situations that can actually kill them. Below are some statistics showing the dangers of chatrooms:
- 43% of people using chatrooms have been asked for telephone numbers, pictures, and addresses
- 46% of people have had unwanted sexual comments directed towards them by another person in a chatroom
- 43% of people 15 - 17 years old have been asked to meet someone they met online in person
- 12% of people who decide to meet an online friend in person have a bad experience
As you can see there are people online that have bad intentions. The online world can be a very scary place and we must use our wit. It is the same as real life, we must use our common sense when talking to people we don’t know.

Introduction

In today’s world technology makes it easier for us to communicate with friends, family, and strangers? Chat rooms can be a great way to communicate with other people from all over the globe who have the same interests, but not all these people are honest. Unfortunately it is these dishonest people that lead to the stories of sexual assault, stalking, and kidnappings. It is important that we understand the consequences of our actions online, just like in real life. Giving out personal information to someone you don’t know is extremely dangerous. But should all of these negatives discourage us from using chat rooms? This question is the purpose of this blog. Through each post I will use different resources and different topics inside internet safety such as precautions, situations, who to contact when you think you’re in a suspicious situation, and how together we can continue to communicate and be above on-line harrasment.