Dangers of Online Chat Rooms
Chat rooms are a popular way for people with common interests to communicate online. Some chat rooms are small and intimate with just a few participants who are acquainted with each other. Others are large and are occasionally frequented by people with bad intentions. The problem is that chat participants often forget that people may be lurking in the chat room without participating in the chat.
Other People Are Reading
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Function
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Chat rooms bring people together to one place to talk and exchange information. This makes it easy for predators to target many people for scams and antisocial behavior.
Effects
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Children who use chat rooms are particularly at risk of being sexually harassed and solicited. It's estimated that one in every five children who use chat rooms will have this experience.
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Geography
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Many people grow comfortable with their favorite chat rooms over time and get to know other chat participants. They may forget about lurkers and give away personal details, which makes it possible for people to find them in person and cause them harm.
Considerations
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Identity theft is a problem in chat rooms when a person assumes the identity of someone online and uses that identity to embarrass or harass that person. This can lead to a loss of reputation online that can be seen by a person's boss or family members.
Features
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In some cases, people have used chat rooms to deliver viruses to trusting chatters who click on links out of curiosity. This can destroy computers and erase important files.
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