Omegle for Kids: Is Omegle Safe?

In this Article

Part 1: What is Omegle?

Omegle, a video random chat website, is immensely popular amongst kids and teenagers. Like the once wildly popular Chatroulette, it pairs random strangers through video and text chat. The idea of meeting new people from different parts of the world can be enticing for anyone.

According to New York Times' investigation, YouTubers have earned millions of views on videos about exploring Omegle's "adult" section, which is Omegle unmoderated section, fighting bullies on Omegle, cosplaying on Omegle, pretending to be celebrities on Omegle, sitting on Omegle for 24 and even 48 hours straight, and more.

This free chat website allows strangers to socialize without actually requiring them to register. What does that mean? Anyone, regardless of their age, can go online on Omegle and have a video chat with a stranger.

Part 2: Is Omegle Safe for Kids?

Well, there is really no age restriction on Omegle. A warning at the beginning screen is simply not enough to stop your kid from going online and being exposed to potentially harmful content. The last thing you want as a parent is walking on to your kid while he or she is chatting with someone your age.

So, can kids use Omegle? Is Omegle dangerous? Well, no, and here is an video about the parental advice on Omegle safety:

Here is an Omegle review of potential dangers for our children:

1. Privacy:

Kids are much easier to manipulate than adults. Your kid might be revealing personally identifiable information to a stranger at this very moment if he or she is on Omegle. Hackers, con artists, and thieves may pry on young children, and scam them into revealing credit card numbers, home addresses, or other details that may expose your whole household to potential threats. Learn how to protect online privacy in this article: How to Protect Online Privacy? Learn It Here!

2. Predators:

Most, if not all, chats on Omegle feature adult content. This includes using foul language, talking about 18+ topics, and discussing sex-related topics. A young child or teen getting exposed to predators online can be extremely harmful. In fact, according to a report from Chicago now, in 2014, a 22-year-old man sexually assaulted two 13-year-old girls he met on Omegle.

3. Cyberbullying:

As with other venues on the internet, Omegle is not devoid of its own cyberbullying problems. Other kids, as well as adults, can be involved in bullying your child. Kids are often taunted for their looks at, young age, and forced into doing acts on video chat they would feel uncomfortable with.

4. Pornography:

Perhaps what Omegle is infamous for is live pornography or pornographic content. Often, people can be seen exposing themselves and masturbating. In some cases, people can be seen having sex while on chat, not caring who they connect with is a minor or not.

5. Violence:

Because of the nature of Omegle as a sex chat platform, kids may start talking and get attached to potentially violent individuals. There have been numerous cases of physical violence on the website. If your kid is exposed to violent content at such a young age, the impact that can have on them can be terrifying.

So is Omegle dangerous? Let these three scathing reviews from parents on Common Sense Media help you understand better.

1. Parents beware - Omegle might just as well be called "Peodophiles R us"

I found out by chance that my (just) 14-year daughter has been using this site. Now banned. Her conversations (referred to in subsequent emails) involve guys asking her for sex and asking to meet her in hotels for sex. I am appalled by the absolute faceless nature of this site, just a "hi" from a stranger.

I pretended to be a 14-year-old girl and after a quick introduction - John, a college student from South Africa (yeah right) was asking me if I was horny. This site is just a breeding ground for men pretending to be boys preying on young girls. Parents, do not let your children use this site. I am a huge fan of the internet but this is a very disturbing side of it.

2. Terrible place

Omegle is now a cesspool of the uneducated and illiterate to shout ASL at each other and demand sexual favors, with no regard for decency or manners. 99% of conversations fail, and the other one percent are genuinely good people who hate the other 99% as much as I. Not worth it, do not visit.

3. This website can contain graphic nudity!

Although Omegle is a good way to socialize it can have horrid things on there. I went on there with my 13-year-old daughter for fun and saw multiple males beating their sausage. This website does have a moderated section and an unmoderated section, but to be honest they don't stand up to their title. There have been many predators caught on Omegle and I have heard of people being kidnapped due to this website. Personally, I think this website is basically a porn site. DO NOT LET YOUR KIDS GET EXPOSED!!!

Part 3: When Omegle meets TikTok:

When Omegle meets TikTok, what could happen? Many TikTok influencers began to surprise fans in Omegle by using Omegle live chat. "Everyone started selecting TikTokers," said Michael Le, a TikTok star with nearly 35 million followers. Often, they would upload the reactions about Omegle live chat with their fans on TikTok. All these things make Omegle spike in popularity during COVID-19.

Like the TikTok star said: "You never know what will happen.", parents will never know there are many Omegle strangers. Omegle is called a "predators' playground" by some caring parents because Omegle predators can hide their real identities and talk to kids with very few restrictions.

And now it can be a "fun" part to react to the Omegle porn. Young YouTuber Nailea Devora explained: "There's a lot of sex porn stuff. We just film our reactions, like, 'OMG I didn't want to see that! People are intrigued to see what happens next and what the next stranger might do. I think the majority of us are just teenagers looking to meet people, but it can get weird and dark."

Is Omegle unmonitored safe?

The bigger issue here is that anyone can access the unmonitored section of Omegle. So basically, your kid can just click on "I'm 18+" and they'll be exposed to a world of sexual predators, scammers, adult content, pornography, and much, much more.

So Is Omegle Safe for kids with its supposed parental control features? Absolutely not!

Part 5: How to Make Sure Your Child Is Safe On Omegle?

When it comes to the safety of your children, you should take matters into your own hands. Here are three simple ways you can make sure your child is safe on or from Omegle:

1. Educate Your Kids On Online Safety

This is something more parents should be doing but are not, unfortunately. The dynamics of growing up have changed tremendously with the growth of the internet. As a responsible parent, it is your job to teach your children how to use the internet, what red flags to watch out for, and that they can always come to you to talk about things they encounter on the web. Be a cool parent, but be responsible as well.

2. Never Let Them Go Online Alone

If your kid really wants to go online on Omegle, make sure you are with them. That way, you can ensure that he or she is only accessing the moderated section of the website. Secondly, you can ensure that the conversation with the stranger does not go in a direction that you're uncomfortable with.

3. Use a Parental Control App to Ban Omegle Sites and App or Track their Online Activities.

FamiSafe is your best bet when it comes to parental control apps. It provides a wide range of protection on Windows, Mac, Kindle Fire, Chromebook Android, and iOS devices. You can simply block unwanted random chat sites like Omegle on their mobile or computer devices so that they are safe from the worst of the internet. Apart from that, parents can monitor device activities to know whether kids are using the Omegle chat site. Alternatively, you can limit the screen time and schedule usage time so that your kids are not spending more than they should on the internet. Besides you can also directly block Omegle or remotely schedule app usage time.

Sites like Omegle are not safe for kids. Your kids' future, however, may be affected by taking one wrong turn on sites where they are exposed to strangers. With apps like FamiSafe, you can ensure that your child is not becoming a victim online and is making good use of the internet.