Do you think that Internet company's should outlaw chat rooms?

Question

I do because so many preditors and nasty people are over the internet and they try to lure young girls and young boys and fill their heads with things that will usually stick with them and sometimes they will go even far. I'm 15 and I feel that they should outlaw it before anything else occurs. A girl met a man over the internet and he stalked her and scared her and she had to move in with her parents because she was scared that he would find her and somehow he did and not only that he killed her parents. Again this is a TRUE story and this really happend, I know this person. All the people on the internet are not preditors and all of them are not nasty, but those who aren't are usually the ones who come in contact with those who are. I've came into contact with them, and it really disturbed me but hopefully it will not happen to anyone else. But I really want to know is what do you guys feel about chatting and these occurences?

Answer 1

Please don't laugh at this: I haven't actually been to an on-line chat room. I think chat rooms are not very good because, like you said, really bad things happen. However, chat rooms seem fun. But it's a good idea for a chat room to be monitored by a member of the staff of the website with the chat room live, like on Neopets. What I'm trying to say is that Internet companies shouldn't outlaw chat rooms, but instead monitor them,word-for-word, live.

Hope this helps,
A Yahoo! User

Answer 2

I agree with you that the internet has become a dangerous place and chat rooms are a big cause of this.
Normally I wouldn't answer a question from a 15 yr old.....but this is very important!
PLEASE.... be careful who you chat with and NEVER give anyone any personal info (address, phone #, etc.) over the internet. Trust no one and remember.....most are lying to you.
I don't spend very much time in chats but when I do chat with someone I don't know......I insist on seeing their face on cam. That way they can't lie and you can see who you're really chatting with.
Stay safe!!!

Answer 3

No. Do you think that guns should be outlawed because people are killed with them? The internet, chatrooms and guns are TOOLS. Misuse by some does not justify forbidding those who will not misuse the tools from having access to them.
What children do(and yes at 15 you are still a CHILD) on the internet is the PARENT'S RESPONSIBILITY to watch and guide them.

Answer 4

Should they be outlawed? No, because that would infringe freedom of speech and/or the press. Can they be outlawed? No. Internet web sites don't fall neatly into one American jurisdiction like other predatory operations.

Besides, how do you define "chat room" for legal purposes?

Answer 5

you can do all that stuff walkin on the street 2 but i would hate for that 2 become illegal, you can not base laws that apply 2 the masses based on the actions of the few, sure bad things happen in chat rooms, but bad things will always happen , thats a part of life

Answer 6

i don't know. i see the reasons for not having them anymore, but i guess many people use them for legitimate reasons. i don't use chat rooms, so if they were outlawed i wouldn't care, but really it comes down to parents teaching their kids internet safety and people not being so gullible.

Answer 7

You can't live your life inside a bubble; you'll go crazy. There are risks in every place and every thing that you do; you just have to decide which risks are worth taking.

Answer 8

agreed

they USED to be real fun but like you say, there are so many predators and wierdo's now