Chat+rooms

=What is a chatroom?= This is an internet based method of 'real-time' communication. You join an online chat room to talk with other people that have the same interests as you. The way it works is you open an account with the chat room provider and log in to one of the 'rooms'. There you meet other people and chat to them by typing a message. Each message is seen by everyone else in the chatroom. You can also send private messages to one another, 'pm' as it is called.

You must be very careful when using a chat room as you do not really know if the person you are chatting to is who they say they are. Avoid providing any personal or location details. Let parents know which chat rooms you are using and report anything that concerns you. Given that caution, chat rooms can be a fun place to be for informal conversations and opinions. //(from teach-ict.com)//

=Tips on staying safe in chat rooms=

Positive: Negative:
 * Educational chat rooms
 * Make new friends
 * Paedophile
 * Three trafficking cases a week in Devon and Cornwall || An article about the rise in children exploitation in England ||
 * Ex-South Wales Police inspector Geraint Lloyd Evans jailed for child sex web chat || An article about the real life consequences of what happened in a chat room ||
 * Manchester paramedic who lured boy to Suffolk forest jailed || An article about how sexual abuse in the past can affect one's future ||