Instructions on Safe Online Chat Rooms for Kids

Their number is increasing at a staggering rate. Yes, the number of teens using Internet has exploded in the last five to six years. With the advent of online and instant messaging since 1996, socialization has taken a new dimension. Hundreds of thousands of chat rooms have popped up on the Internet. Free online chat rooms are a latest trend and parents and cyber crime experts are concerned about the vulnerability of kids to several risks that unchecked access to Internet can cause.

Safe Online Chat Rooms for Kids
In the pre - teen and teen years, kids form a sense of individuality. While there are physical changes in the body, emotional and social changes are also no less. Curiosity is at its peak in these years and everything seems magical. Certainly, kids rarely give a second thought while trying new things, be it puffing a cigar or gulping a bottle of beer. Since teen years are formative years of life, kids search for appreciation, love, care and they want to be with people who can understand them deeply. With free online chat room for kids becoming a trend, connecting with friends and peer groups is exciting, fun and enjoyable. However, in an endeavor to make friends and increase social circle, chatting becomes an addiction for several kids. This leads to access to a huge network of unidentified and often fake profiles of so-called 'friends' alluring kids to fall in the traps of unsafe hands.

A World Other than Chatting
Ensure that your kid is involved in lots of activities that may include studies, swimming, karate, drawing, writing, painting, sports, gymnastics etc. This is will give him/her limited time to spend on activities like chatting. And this will also send a positive message in their mind that chatting is nothing else but one of the many ways of social interaction. It is in no way a substitute for face to face communication. Try to teach your kids the habit of being a clear communicator. This will help them become more practical and clear in their views. Once kids understand that social networking is just a tool to communicate, they will automatically switch off from their computers and will get along with various productive works waiting to get attention.

Communicate Correctly
Establish the habit of crystal clear communication between yourself and your kids. Discuss with them about how can online chat rooms be dangerous if the other person is faking profile and is misleading by not revealing his true identity. Don't hide any facts from kids. If you don't tell them the harmful effects of chatting addiction, they will someday end up doing things you were hesitant in discussing with them.

Convey Realistic Expectations
Since in teenage years, teens are always ready to revolt for anything and they focus too much on their personal lives (which is quite normal), they often end up forming immature ideas about love and life. Hence, emotional upheaval is expected in this age. In case, your kids are behaving such, be very straightforward in your expectations (that must be realistic). Tell what you expect as parents and even give them freedom to a certain limited extent. That will give them a feeling of acceptance and being loved. Also, don't let them get into too much chatting as that gives them a way to vent out their unexpressed emotions to people who are there on the Internet with fake profiles. While kids may get emotionally attached to that person, they may tend to get caught in a vicious cycle of expecting too much from someone whom they haven't met or seen.

Zero in on Safe Chat Rooms
While you can't and you shouldn't block chatting or social networking websites for kids (this sends a negative message), you can help kids by getting access to chat rooms meant exclusively for kids only. Registered chat rooms follow all safety guidelines and they are productive for kids in entertaining them and enriching them with knowledge. Teach them the art of identifying good virtual chat rooms.

Friendship is Not Only Chatting
Help your kids in understanding the real meaning of friendship. Tell them that friendship is just not talking and chatting. It covers more deeper dimensions of human personality. Try to make them understand that more than increasing the 'friends count' on social networking sites and free kids chat rooms, they must believe in making friends who truly care about them.

Web Cams, No Less Threat
Live video chat rooms are a reality nowadays and although they are primarily intended for business motives, they are another option for kids to enjoy. Live web cams must be used cautiously by kids and parents must help kids become aware of ill uses of web cams.

Chatting and illegitimate Websites
Free chat rooms are often disguised in the forms of illegal websites and once you have logged in, various windows pop up alluring kids to visit those websites. Hence, finding good ones for your teens is not a difficult task for parents if you get in touch with cyber security officials.

Talk, Explain, Present Facts, Make Kids Aware
Keep an eye on the Internet log book your child is visiting. This helps you to monitor the websites your kid is visiting. If you find your kid is visiting sites that are inclined towards sexual content (meant for above 18 years of age) then ensure that you're able to install security software in your PC so that access to such websites is blocked. Moreover this can't be a concrete solution for this problem. Hence, you have got to talk to your kids. Since inclination towards opposite sex and curiosity about human body is natural in this phase of life, don't taunt or talk harshly with your kids about this. Make them aware about facts and talk openly. Don't sound sarcastic or rude. Present before them the facts and reality. Talk to them about how people with fake profiles can allure them to things that are illegal and unsafe for kids. This will aware and alarm kids and they will be more aware in choosing friends in free kids chat rooms and visiting websites that are particularly not meant for their ages.

The Later the Better
Don't give personal computers to your kids up to a certain age. Let them better use a common computer so that you can have a general idea about what your kid is up to. Understand that more than your kid visiting anything not apt for his age, more dangerous threats are that your kid may get close to friends with fake profile. That presents more danger and your kid can land up in some trouble. A 50 year old man can fake to be 20 year old girl on internet. Nobody knows the truth about the real identity on the Internet. Hence, be more vigilant about that. The influence of chat rooms on teenagers has been more negative than positive. Instances of kids running away from home to meet their online friends in some other state has often been reported in police cases.

Encourage kids to keep chats saved in the computers. Then you can be sure that they're not too much into zones where they should not tread. Monitor your kids positively. Don't impose too much restrictions but at the same time, don't be lenient. As parents, you've got to ensure that kids inculcate positive values in life that are good for their personal growth.

For teens and adolescents, these new media platforms are a platform to share information, spend time sharing thoughts, ideas and values and most importantly staying in touch with distant relatives and friends. More than this, these chat rooms don't deserve a very crucial role in a kid's life. And it has to be ensured by parents that their kids are emotionally involved in the family.

Generally, it happens that kids are not listened to in their own families and so they are emotionally drawn away from parents and they start inclining towards external sources for happiness and peace. Parenting teenagers is definitely challenging, however, if parents are providing proper environment, care and support to the kids, they will eventually grow with good habits.

It has to be understood that online chat rooms for kids are healthy as long as they are used in limits and for proper purpose. Instead of worrying too much about negatives of chatting, parents must focus their attention on their kids so that kids are able to establish a proper communication channel. Once a proper communication channel is established, it will blossom into a beautiful relationship that both, the parents and kids will cherish forever.