Monitoring chatrooms

In some countries there are calls to register prepaid telephone cards. In others, such as Australia, calls are extended to monitor conversations in chatroom in order to prevent adults preying on kids. Earlier, some years ago, Microsoft closed their chatrooms to curb paedophile threat.

The intention is positive, for sure, but the effect is doubtful.

It is nearly impossible to monitor all the conversations and it would surely also increase the commercial burden of those providing the service. Nevermind this one. It is much more likely that adults preying on children would find another way to prey on their victims as well. Kids will find a way to initiate conversations with friends. Basically, there are ways around any monitoring service - and this is the danger in any of such monitoring devices, because those devices might give the parents the feeling that their children are protected. They are not. It would be more useful to educate the children. Just like we educate the children not to talk to strangers, don't go into a car of a stranger, don't take seets from strangers and so on and so on. Educate children to use the Internet in a smart way. Let them be a smart Internet user. And, along the way, develop relations with your children. Then, there is no need for more and more monitoring and registering.

(By Asia Business Consulting)