How to Join Teenage Chat Rooms

You want to join a chat room since your friends rave about the chat rooms they visit. Even if you don't have a computer at home, most schools and libraries have them available for you to use. Stick to sites specifically for teens--highly monitored sites that help keep you safe online as long as you follow the rules of not sharing personal information.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Talk with your friends and your parents about joining a chat room. See if they have suggestions on rooms you might want to join and check them out. You can choose from a wide variety of sites with topics ranging from specific age groups to religion to hobbies and interests.

2. Find a list of teen chat sites at Chatmag. Explore the sites with your parents or friends without signing up to see which have the best safety features.

3. Sign up and join the teen chat room of your choice. Be wary of the information you provide when you sign up. If anything makes you uncomfortable, stop and go to another site. Many secure sites won't ask you for personal information.

4. Read through the chat topics to get a feel for the site. This is called lurking. When you're comfortable, jump in and add some topics or responses of your own.

5. Have fun in the teen chat room, being careful not to let it control your life. If anything makes you upset or uncomfortable, contact a moderator immediately and let your parents and friends know.

Resources

• Chatmag teen links