Risks & Tips: Are Online Chatting Rooms Safe?

When it comes to talking to someone new, teens usually prefer online platforms and texting. There are a plethora of online chatting websites available, and most of them give free access to everyone to join in. No matter how fun it may look to your kid, your child is not aware of the dangers of such online chatting rooms. Internet is the home for endless threats, and there is an incredible number of people trying to get in touch with your child and be friends with them. Some of them could be genuine. However, maximum users are here on the internet with an evil intention.

Teens mostly get attracted to online chatting rooms. One of the biggest reasons is it gives them the freedom to talk to new people, the excitement to flirt with someone, be friends with random people, and their own virtual space is something very dear to them. This is the reason why; kids download teen dating apps on their mobile phones. Teens at this age are highly curious about their surroundings. They are continually looking for new and attractive things, and teen dating apps are one of them. Parents of teenagers are always worried about the safety of their children. Understandably, parents will be worried, knowing that their child could become a victim of a cyberbully or any other online threat. In this article, we will talk about everything you need to know about online chatting rooms and will give you the best solution to keep an eye on your teen's online activity.

Why are online chat rooms so dangerous?

Since there is a gamut of free online chat rooms, teens are never aware of who they might be talking to. A teenage boy may think that he is chatting with a teen girl, but in reality, it could be an older man pretending to be a girl and chatting. These instances are widespread. Meeting strangers online is always fun, but how safe are these strangers? Let's get to know some of the dangers.

1. Teens can become an easy target

Predators are everywhere, and even online chatting rooms are not free of them. A person with a bad intention may come in contact with your child pretending to be someone else. May ask your kid to go to a private room, and the worst will be asking him or her to meet the person in real life. Since no one knows who your kid is talking to, it becomes easier for the predators to catch their prey.

2. Hacking your kid's account

Another most common problem with these chat rooms is that they are never monitored carefully and neither encrypted. This means it is an easy invitation to all the hackers to hack the chat app. Once done, these hackers can even steal personal information from your child.

Some dangerous internet chat rooms examples

Unfortunately, there are tons of hazardous chat rooms available on the internet. Other than Snapchat, Houseparty, and FaceTime, your kid could be even using online adult chat rooms, which is a huge red flag. These adult sites are not safe for kids, and these sites can hamper the mental growth of your child as well. Here is the list of dangerous teen chat-free online chat rooms for teenagers.

1. Whisper

The worst app for teenagers which is becoming an absolute favorite among the kids is Whisper. This app lets your kid post secrets. They don't need to reveal their identity, but they can share their feelings online and can even chat with strangers as well.

The reason why this app is so dangerous is that kids are drawn to emotions quickly at this stage, and this is what predators look for. Since this app lets you share secrets. Bonding with the wrong person can lead to dire consequences.

2. Yikyak

Do you that all the users of YikYak are anonymous! Now, imagine how many people would be using this app to communicate with different people. You don't even need to create your account. You can start using this app and post comments. It has been seen that kids are mostly using YikYak to bully other kids in their class or school.

Yikyak is already creating a lot of issues in school. Since your comments are visible within a 1-5-mile radius, kids in particular use this app in school to spread bad words about the teachers they don't like or a classmate. YikYak is a popular app that is mostly used to spread rumors and slander one another.

3. Snapchat

No matter how popular this app is, but Snapchat is not at all safe to use. As you know that Snapchat is an app that allows you to capture photos or upload videos online and make them visible to people for a certain amount of time, However, Snapchat makes claims that after that specific time, the picture or the video gets removed.

Now, the reason why this app is unsafe is that kids can use this app to send sexually inappropriate content. They can follow and be followed by anyone. Even if you have uploaded an innocent photo, you can still become a victim of the cyberbully because you can drop comments on one another's content. Also, anything that you upload on the internet remains on the web, even if you have deleted them. And a predator trying to spy on you might have recorded your kid's video by using another app or might have taken a screenshot of your child's photo too.

How can parents block these dangerous chat rooms?

Knowing that there are so many unsafe applications available for your kids, it becomes necessary for you as a parent to take action. The internet is not a safe place for even adults, so imagine how dangerous it could become for your child! If you can see or feel that your child might be using his smartphone to join online chat rooms, then it's high time to control their mobile phone usage. Give them the freedom to use their phone, but when in doubt, block the apps that you don't want them to use or which you think are unsafe for them. With FamiSafe, you will be able to keep your child safe from online chat room threats and dangers.

FamiSafe is a robust parental control app. The app lets you monitor and control your child's mobile phone activity. Your child could become a victim of online bullying. Rather than waiting for the worse to happen, download FamiSafe and use it to block unwanted applications, track where your kid is and know their real-time location, put a control on their screen time usage, and filter web content as well.

FamiSafe Features

Explicit Content Detection

With FamiSafe, you can now easily keep an eye on the apps used by your kid. You can create your list of alert words too to receive a notification whenever your child uses it, or someone else does. Not just this, FamiSafe also informs you if someone is sexting and sending or downloading suspicious images.

App Activity and App Blocker

Use FamiSafe to monitor your child's smartphone activities. You will see what apps are stored on his or her mobile phone. Which apps have been recently downloaded and which ones have been removed! You can also block dangerous apps as well and keep your child safe from explicit content.

Screen Time and Smart Scheduling

If you see that your child is wasting a lot of time on his or her mobile phone, then with screen time and smart scheduling option, you can restrict their mobile phone usability duration. Lock the smartphone and schedule a time for that daily at night, so that the kid gets to bed right after having dinner and sleep.

Web Filtering and browse history

Now you will know what your child does on the internet. Which websites do they regularly visit and waste their time on? You can also browse history as well. If you see that they often visit online chat sites, then all you got to do is block those sites and keep your kid protected.

Conclusion

Keep your child safe from unwanted online chatting sites. They are of no good to them, and neither are they safe on the internet. You never know who they might be talking to anonymously or if someone is stalking them. Bullying is one of the prominent problems at this age. This is the reason why you need parental control apps like FamiSafe to keep an eye on your child's online activities. You decide which sites are right for them and which should be blocked. Block all the unwanted and dangerous messaging apps, which are nothing but a waste of time. Don't let anyone harm your kid. Install FamiSafe, the best parental control app, and have your peace of mind.