Guide to activities for kids online Online chat
People converse online in chatrooms
Chatrooms
A chatroom is an online area where two or more people converse in ‘real time’. Usually, this will just involve typed messages, but it can also incorporate voice chat using headsets.
A longstanding chat format is internet relay chat (IRC), which lets people join busy chatrooms, known as ‘channels’ (sometimes with dozens of people around the world in one channel at a time; though private chats can be initiated).
Online forums or messageboards, meanwhile, work in a similar way but without the real time element - instead, users connect by posting responses to discussion topics or 'threads'.
What are the chatroom risks?
- Chat can be a great way for kids to talk to people who have similar interests, but there is the risk that friends they make online aren’t who they say they are.
- Free-for-all chatrooms allow anyone to jump in and talk to others.
Instant messaging
Instant messaging (IM) is slightly different from a typical chatroom, though both are often placed in the same category. IM systems, such as Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger, typically involve communicating with people who have been added to a ‘buddy list’.
Instant messaging can be a great way for kids to have free real-time chats with friends and family
Often, you can use a webcam so that you can see the person you’re talking to – some laptops have built-in webcams for this purpose. Like chatrooms, IM involves having a live conversation with others.
More popular these days are IM systems provided by social networks including Facebook, allowing logged in users to live chat with contacts who are also online.
What are online chat risks?
- Some instant messaging tools allow friends of friends, or friends of their friends, to join in the chat.
- It’s generally safer if children restrict conversations to friends they know and think carefully about who they put on their buddy lists.
For tips on keeping children safe online, read our reports on child internet safety and how parental control software can help you regulate internet usage.
