March 16, 2010
The first chat starts out innocent enough, typical back and forth with a middle-aged dad of three from the east coast. It’s his first time on Chatroulette and he disconnects. Next you’re chatting with a young woman from England, it’s late there and she types and wears headphones to avoid waking her flatmates. You press “Next” and a naked man’s image pops up on your screen. You quickly press “Next” again. It’s now a group of college guys sitting around a couch sipping beer. You press “Next” and gamble who and what you are going to see next.
It’s the game of Chatroulette and it poses dangers to our children. Chatroulette is a free social networking site that instantly connects strangers from around the world in video chat rooms. The site randomly pairs strangers in private chats and users can press “next” at any time to leave their current session and connect with the next stranger. Users communicate one-on-one via webcams, computer microphones and regular chat room messaging. A teenager in Moscow, Russia developed the concept but parents need to be aware of the dangers Chatroulette.
The site requires users to confirm they are at least 16 years-old and says, “Chatroulette does not tolerate broadcasting obscene, offending, pornographic material and we will have to block users who violate these rules from using our service”. There is also an option to report inappropriate users. The site isn’t regulated in other ways and there is no need to register.
It’s readily available to anybody with a computer—giving child molesters and other predators an opportunity to connect with others. While there are plenty of good conversations going on, there is also a lot of abuse as many people are displaying illicit images via the video chat option.
According to "Chatroulette is 'Predators Paradise' Experts Say", Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist and Fox News contributor says, “Parents should keep all children off the site because it’s much too dangerous for children”. Users cannot choose who they are communicating with; they may easily wind 
up in a private chat room with a predator.
InstantAmber partner, Safe Eyes is the best parental control software available. With its powerful blocking and monitoring features, Safe Eyes keeps parents informed and kids safe online. Due to the risks of children chatting with strangers and the difficulty ID-ing streaming videos, Safe Eyes has decided to block the Chatroulette site. Save 15% on the first year of Safe Eyes by using promo code “INSTANTAMBER”. Sign-up now.
