Let’s face facts, your parents had it easier. Back then, good parenting advice just needed to include “always wear clean underwear” and “never talk to strangers.” Wouldn’t they be astonished to be thrust into child rearing in 2010? You probably don’t get too much of an argument about clean underwear, but talking to strangers has become a sought-after activity and it’s startlingly easy.
A new website called Chat Roulette has become very popular among teens and young adults. The concept of the site is simple: turn on your webcam, press a button, and be instantly connected to another random user. The site says that you need to be at least 16 to use it, but there is no way to confirm a user’s age. In fact, you don’t even have to create an account or enter any information at all. Just click, and you’re face to face with…who knows who?
The real communications goldmine is Facebook–not just because all your kids are on it, but because all the other kids in town are on it too. Some people have a real hang up about Facebook, and I think it’s because they don’t understand how it differs from chat rooms. Facebook isn’t about anonymity. You set up a profile which includes your name and your picture, and then you seek out your friends to share in an online experience. Most kids who get into trouble online are interacting with an anonymous somebody pretending to be somebody else in a chat room, but not on Facebook.
