Free Online Chat Room Clubs for Kids
Free chat rooms for kids strive to provide cost-free, child-friendly moderated environments for enjoying social fun on the Internet. Children want to enjoy the Internet and use it as a way to connect with friends from school or people they might not normally meet. There are several aspects of free kids' chat rooms that parents should keep in mind as their children participate in this popular activity.
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Location
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Free chat rooms for kids are all over the Internet. Some popular sites for adults feature kids' sections with free chat rooms geared toward children. There are also entire social interaction and networking sites aimed only at children. These sites have free chat rooms for children. Other free chat rooms are started by kids themselves using popular instant-messaging services that allow you to invite people on your friends list into a private, invitation-only chat room.
Moderation
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Not all free chat rooms are well moderated. Before your child participates in online chat rooms, find out who is moderating the chat. Some sites promise to have at least one adult moderator in the room at all times to ensure that discussions are appropriate. Other sites provide inconsistent moderation, or moderators who do not keep track of what is discussed in private conversations. Invitation-only chat rooms through instant-messaging services do not have moderators, but ensuring that your child is talking only with friends she knows can help with safety issues in that setting.
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Safety
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As in any other online setting, there is no way to know whether the people your child is chatting with in a free chat room are who they say they are. Your child should use a nondescript user ID, avoid giving out personally identifiable information and refuse to discuss personal issues in a free chat room. Kids are better off avoiding free chat rooms that are not constantly monitored and staying away from entering into private conversations in chat rooms. They should also know to alert adults about anything that may be concerning.
Parental Supervision
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While some free chat rooms are better than others, nothing substitutes for constant parental supervision and interaction. Never leave a child alone in a free chat room or allow him to meet someone that he met in a chat room. Keep track of which sites your child visits and how long he spends at each site. Some parents choose to use nanny software on their computers so that they can be sure they know everything about their child's Internet usage on the home computer.
Having Fun
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Keeping safety considerations first when dealing with kids in free chat rooms will help to ensure that once your child is chatting, she is free to have fun and talk about subjects that interest her. Lots of subjects, such as cartoons, the weather and homework can be fun to talk about, while also being safe and not-too-personal.
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