SERIOUS DEBATE: Kids and Internet Chat Rooms

[EternalMothra]

You know how there has been some disturbing news of not so good people meeting kids on internet chat rooms, well I disregarded it until it happened very close to home. As of yesterday a 12 year old girl ended up missing in my town, which by the way, has never ever happened around here before. She was taken away by some 18 year old from Wyoming, who drove all the way to my town to pick her up. This raises the question, Are internet chat rooms safe enough for children to use, also should something furtherly be done about situations like these?

[biochemitra]

As I stated at KG, I'm not sure how to take this. I met the love of my life over the net when she was 12 and it was the single most important part of my life. Despite her mom's objections to us, it's only gotten better so I don't want to say that parents should simply restrict their kids from going online until they reach a certain age.

Many lives are lost due to pedophiles but net dating has also made so many lives so much better.
I'm at a loss as to what to do, really. Some sort of measure to discourage pedophelia to begin with, I suppose. This may be harsher penalties for it or more effective police equipment(We have the money for better equipment, we just need for it to be used for that). Other than that, I'm not sure how to approach it all.

[Raptor]

It's the old predators and prey thing. Everyone needs to understand how these deviants work and there is some great information out there for youngsters, parents, teachers and law enforcement. It simply must be used, which goes back to parents watching out for their kids and knowing what they're up to, including who they might be yakking with on the phone, in chat rooms or associating with.
Anyway you look at it, things like EM mentioned should not happen.
I cannot figure how a term like "net DATING" is viable, especially considering the importance many people put on developing "relationships" in our various school and "support" topics. "Long distance" ones are bad enough for folks who have be separated.
Hey, you can't smooch over the Internet (which might be a good thing, come to think about it... ;) )
Why does nearly about everything from possums in the house to this now always get thrown in law enforcement's lap which should be the last option? No place can afford to have a cop "babysitting" every kid out there. They come with PARENTS, don't they? :hmmm: If the COURTS are too lenient and "therapy" doesn't work, prisons do.
EM, follow up on this situation LOCALLY and EVERYONE there get rolling on preventing it from happening again.

[godofPH]

^Very well said Raptor.

Its not the Law's job to make sure Peter Pedophile doesn't seduce your 12 year old kid over the net, its the parent's job. The parents should make sure that the kids aren't talking to shady characters in Internet chatrooms, even though, its hard to tell what kind of places are safe and what kind of places aren't. For example, the Neopets message boards a few years ago. The Neopets site itself is a family-friendly online game, but those boards were anything but at the time. The General Chat board was filled with 'Party' topics where people would roleplay inappropriate things and give out descriptions of themselves to other people and hook up. Though, since then the General Chat board has been deleted all together and the only kind of chat allowed is chat about Neopets and nothing else. But if it can happen at Neopets, it could happen anywhere...

[EternalMothra]

I just found out yesterday that a 16 year old from Michigan was discovered in Israel with her internet love. Good God! What is wrong with these kids? They need some serious disipline IMO.

[Cookson]

I dont know what to say.....How does a 16 year old from Michigan get to Israel?

[Tokyo VigilanteX]

I just found out yesterday that a 16 year old from Michigan was discovered in Israel with her internet love. Good God! What is wrong with these kids? They need some serious disipline IMO.
Disiplined? What do you want to do? bend her over your knee and spank her? (don't answer that. :p) She's 16 years old, she can drive a car and live alone at this point. Shes old (although no nearly as wise enough ;) ) to make her choices at this age.

Shielding men from the effects of folly will eventually fill the world with fools

[Cookson]

But still how does a 16 year old get to Israel?

Kinda like I said on KG....its the parents fault.

[biochemitra]

I just found out yesterday that a 16 year old from Michigan was discovered in Israel with her internet love. Good God! What is wrong with these kids? They need some serious disipline IMO.
Well it depends.
Did her said internet love try to hurt and\or molest her?

I'm gonna need some details as to what happened, I'm not much in the way of a news hound..

If he was an online predator and lied to her then I also am outraged but you're gonna need to say more than that she was found with her internet love. The way you put it leads me to consider that they may have actually been in love. It sounds a bit extreme but then again, that's kinda what love is. If anything, it sounds sweet, when you put it like that.
Now it's different if he tried something, like I said, I'm gonna need some details.

[Shadow]

You want to know how the girl got there? The "internet love" sent her a airplane ticket, and girl hitched a ride on a giant metallic bird to Israel. Unless they got her back, she's probably wife #4 of a heirum or something.

So, what's the lesson kids? Thats right: if you ever need to get anywhere for free, pretend you are a young and unassuming girl, get on the internet, and ask the nearest pervert with a ticket to your destination. I'm joking of course, but I garuantee that's probably happened before.

[Burkion]

Lord knows that's how *I* get around...

J/K...or am I?


...anyways...

Here's a tip for every single idiotic fool who thinks visiting someone across the computer is a good idea: Bring either A) your parent/friend, or B) BRING A WEAPON YOU IDJIT!

Jesus its idiots like that that REALLY piss me off. I mean, come on! Maybe they deserve waht happens to 'em if they're stupid enough to head on over.

[BS Digital Q]

Here's a tip for every single idiotic fool who thinks visiting someone across the computer is a good idea: Bring either A) your parent/friend, or B) BRING A WEAPON YOU IDJIT!

Jesus its idiots like that that REALLY piss me off. I mean, come on! Maybe they deserve waht happens to 'em if they're stupid enough to head on over.Let me put you a question then...

Do you really expect a 12-13 girl to even consider those options, especially the latter one? No. It is not stupidity, it is naivity and age-imposed ignorance, something which simply cannot be changed. Next time, please put more thought into your posts, and less reactionary outbursts like the above.

[Burkion]

Yes, actually. THere's a whole bunch of freakin' NEWS REPORTS that they'd have to be DEAF to hear, and I'm sorry, but if you're a deaf kid, then you should not be visiting ANYONE over the net, unless guided.

So, in my not so humble opion, they are f-in stupid. Simple as that.

Now, if it's a friend that was keeping up with them over the net, and they turned on 'em like this, or soemthing like that, then I could see why they wouldn't. But otherwise? Just some guy they met?

...IDIOT. These are the types of idiots I was hoping would be left behind in a Jason flick, to be slaughtered.

Guess our own maniacs are picking up the pace.

[BS Digital Q]

Yes, actually. THere's a whole bunch of freakin' NEWS REPORTS that they'd have to be DEAF to hear, and I'm sorry, but if you're a deaf kid, then you should not be visiting ANYONE over the net, unless guided.Kids that young simply DON'T pay attention to the news. I never listened until I was 14 myself, and I've come a long way since. But frankly, some simply don't give a damn.

Plus, I LOVE how you come up with these completely unneeded accusations that have absolutely no application to people like this. :sarcasm:

So, in my not so humble opion, they are f-in stupid. Simple as that.Humble my ***. The kind of presumptions you are making about people like this is extremely arrogant as is, Mr. Know-it-all.

Just some guy they met?Its really not that simple. To immediately want to go out with some guy you have known only for a few hours? That is stupid, but thats almost never the case. In most of these situations I've read about, these people have been chatting for extended periods, and have known each other for several weeks. In that kind of span, one can feel out all the person's traits, eccetricities, and ect. I should know, I've done it with all of you myself. :p

...IDIOT. These are the types of idiots I was hoping would be left behind in a Jason flick, to be slaughtered.

Guess our own maniacs are picking up the pace.And the above is what I can honestly say in my rational mind to be nothing short of stupid. Way to go solving the problem bub, while most likely you are only worsening it. :sarcasm:

[biochemitra]

Here's a tip for every single idiotic fool who thinks visiting someone across the computer is a good idea: Bring either A) your parent/friend, or B) BRING A WEAPON YOU IDJIT! Hey Hey Hey!
One of us DOES plan on visiting our signifigant other who we met over the net a couple years ago.
Lets lighten up on the personal insults, shall we?

And for the record, being 18 works just as well.

[EternalMothra]

I is mainly the parents' faults for not knowing what their child is doing on the internet. If they kept their attention focused on it, I guarentee these things won't happen. Also, some kids now days have no sense in them whatsoever, which is another reason. Or their parents simply don't give a rip.

[Shadow]

Verbal warning to BSDQ and Burkion:

It seems you both feel strongly on the subject, but lets not let insults or hot tempers ruin the discussion. Keep your comments in line, and let the discussions continue.

[Shin lvl2 Goji]

A lot of kids don't realize the dangers of having an intimate relationship with someone online. Not that there aren't psychos in the real world, (the ones online have to come from somewhere) but the internet is more dangerous because there's more of a chance to be anonymous. I remember when I first got internet 5 years ago, it was unheard of to give someone a picture or anything unless you really knew them for a long time along with friends that knew them and your parents knew them etc. Now people post everything you could imagine about themselves online! The internet has changed a lot in that short amount of time. Myspace has to be the worst (besides just being the cesspool that it is) because a single profile page has so much personal info on it contained all in one place and that can be dangerous when anyone can see it, not just your friends. Some even put phone numbers and things like that on them. Then there's the slutty pictures that a lot of them put on their profiles that make them magnets for predators. Having 5,000 friends that they don't know doesn't help matters any either.

I did date someone online once, but I don't think I'd ever do it again. Now there isn't as much of a "code of ethics" online as there used to be, and that's just comparing 5 years ago to now, and even then it wasn't perfect. I'm not saying communicating with people online period should be forbidden, that's what this site was designed for.

Biochemitra, definitely be careful if you do choose to visit this girl or if you arrange to have her visit you. Have someone go with you.

[Dr. Strangelove]

There are too many stupid people in the US. Things we need to do to help fix this problem- Remove saftey labels, No seat-belt law, things such as that. I mean yeah, for realy little kids, they should be told to put a seatbelt on, or put on a helment, but once you reach a certian age, you ought to know. Same thing aplies to chatrooms and the like, if you're stupid enough to give out your personal info to someone you do not totally trust, you should die, and I hope you die. Stupid people of the world, IGNITE!

http://209.85.12.236/4839/164/emo/Lil_Hitler.JPG

Edit- YAY HITLER EMOCON!

[biochemitra]

Biochemitra, definitely be careful if you do choose to visit this girl or if you arrange to have her visit you. Have someone go with you.

While I thank you for your concern, that won't be necessary. Me and Kassie have known each other for two years, each day reviewing what our day was like, what events occured, what obstacles have been involved. If you've known someone for two years, whether they're legit or pedos becomes a bit more obvious.
While I don't feel people should jump into a relationship, then jump into meeting them, me and Kassie are far more than that. I know her through and through, I've even talked to her on the phone, and trust me, it was the same person.

While caution should definitely be exercised in online relationships, after so long, you know whether someone is truly who they claim.

[Cyndi]

I think I'm lucky that I couldn't access a private computer alone when I was twelve, or I might have fallen for that stuff. I got to see the dangers BEFORE I got my own computer(when I was 18). I've relaxed a little bit and I'm not afraid of having photos of myself online, but I won't be posting my address or phone number anywhere, NEVER!

I think the problem with kids and the internet is everything is getting so sexualized and kids seem to believe pretty much anything, so they fall for these nasty tricks. Their parents need to surpervise them just as much as they should supervise what kids watch on TV.

[Shadow]

I heard on the news that the girl is back in America. She was caught near the West Bank, and was talked into coming home.

[Cyndi]

God, just found this thread again and I had a little flashback of when I was 18 and first started RPing online. Ironically my first place to RP was the Gargoyles Fan Website chatroom. My persona there was Godzilla, but a female version that could talk(later that persona would become Shezilla's personality, though when I visit that chat I still call myself Godzilla).

So anyhow, this Godzilla got involved with a character whose name I won't mention, but he was a winged snake/sorcerer type creature. One day his character kissed mine. It was a goofy RP, but they started getting more serious. Our characters even did the hanky panky(don't ask how, they just did!) and we'd RP it out in a seperate room. Well one day afterwards he asked me what I used. I said "what do you mean?" and he said "what do you use to masturbate when our characters are going at it?".

Well, I lied and made up a method. See, I don't mind RPing those kinds of scenes as long as it's JUST the characters(Rping that stuff doesn't excite me, I see it as a writing exercise most of the time). So whenever his character started to lead Godzilla "into the forest" I would just go ahead and do it, but I used less detail in 'those' scenes than I used to. He would get more detailed, freakily so. But I'd plod along and pretend to go off when he finally did.

One day I went AFK and when I came back I reviewed the things they said while I was gone and somebody asked my RP partner if it's my character he loved or the person behind it, and he said the person behind it.

And I being the idiot that I was back then, eventually gave him my phone number. He would call me a lot. I lied to my parents about who it was, saying it was someone from high school who moved away. He would always say I love you and stuff and I'd return the words because I didn't want to hurt his feelings. The calls finally stopped when I moved and my phone number changed.

Now when I look back I'm glad he never asked me to meet him. I might have been coerced into something I'd regret forever, all because I hate to hurt peoples' feelings.

I look at children who fall for these things with pity and anguish.

But you know what they say, on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog.