Online chat

Online chat rooms are open online discussion groups in which you can have real-time discussions with other web users under an alias. Chat discussion groups, or rooms, are often named in accordance with a certain topic or age group. One group may include dozens of participants, while one-on-one discussion is often also possible. Many online games feature the option to chat with other players.

Chat safely instructions for children:

1. Do not reveal your personal information
2. Notify the webmaster of bullies and troublemakers.
3. Leave if you feel uncomfortable.
4. Tell your parents about unpleasant experiences too.
5. Take others into consideration.

What is a safe chat room like?

The safety and fun of chatting are largely dependent on whom you are chatting with. You can evaluate the safety of a certain chat room, e.g. used by your child, on a general level by posing the following three questions:

• Is the chat room aimed at children?
  The likelihood of inappropriate topics or conversation partners appearing in chat rooms that are aimed at children is lower.
• Is the chat room under supervision?
  Some chat rooms have voluntary supervisors that reprimand inappropriate discussion participants, and may remove troublemakers altogether from a discussion. If there is no active supervision, the chat room should at least feature a reporting button that can be used to report troublemakers to the webmaster. Storage of discussion participants’ information also improves the safety of the discussions.
• Is it possible to block discussion participants?
  Blocking means the barring of a certain discussion partner's messages. When this person is blocked, his or her messages will no longer appear on the screen.
• What is IRC?
  IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is a method of real-time online discussion that is more versatile than chat rooms. Using it requires that a piece of software (an IRC client) be installed on your computer in order to be connected to the desired channels, or discussion groups. IRC enables you to follow discussions synchronously in several groups while also allowing you to talk privately one-on-one. The same rules for safe use that apply to chat rooms also hold true for IRC.