Chat rooms are so 1990.
The Editorial Board unfortunately learned about the latest Internet chatting craze – Chatroulette, an Internet chat site that lets you talk to people around the world on a webcam, moving on to another person if the person you’re talking to doesn’t strike your fancy.
In the 10 minutes we spent conducting our investigation, we saw a handful of creepers, a man wearing a “Scream” mask, some penises and some body parts that none of us have been able to identify (we’re split on whether it’s a tongue or a butt).
And we have to say that while this was an awkward but funny adventure for us, this probably isn’t the best idea for teenagers to participate in.
Granted the rules state that users must be at least 16 years old, but we’re going to guess that this may not always be the case.
There’s no sign-up or login, users simply have to press a button that says “start the game,” which is creepy enough. It also said that pornographic material isn’t allowed, but the multiple penises would suggest otherwise.
And if chat rooms weren’t sketchy enough, think about the added danger a webcam produces.
Obviously, people are free to use Chatroulette as much as they want, we just think the site’s creators should have a better way to monitor who uses it and what material is being projected.
