TAMPA, Fla. — Free online chat websites are popular, especially with teens and younger adults, but sometimes, these websites can come with risks.
For instance, when you go to Omegle.com in bold letters across the top, it says, "Talk to Strangers."
The website randomly pairs users with "strangers" in one-on-one chat sessions.
The concerning part is that there is no age requirement, so when you click start chatting, a box pops up and reads, "Our age restrictions have changed. You must be 18 or older to use "Omegle." By checking the box, you acknowledge and represent that you comply with these age restrictions."
And because anyone can check that box, with no age verification to get in and no app to download, parents have no idea their child is on the site.
"The cyber sexuality and the violence that they're exposed to is nothing like we've ever seen before, even with parental controls and monitoring," explained Dr. Tracy Bennett, a clinical psychologist and social media expert.
ABC Action News anchor Wendy Ryan recently spoke with Dr. Bennett about "Omegle" and other similar websites. She says kids nowadays are being exposed to inappropriate online content that is unhealthy for their age.
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“Not only sexuality and violence, but you know, 3000 images a day of influencers and marketers and peers who are contoured and made up and lit and digitally enhanced and surgically enhanced. And how do you ever live up to that kind of image,” said Dr. Bennett.
The randomness of the chats only heightens those insecurities, especially for teens. Dr. Bennett tells Wendy that bullies can go undetected and kids may reveal personal information to anyone on the site. And with over 54 million daily visits, many young users are repeatedly visiting “Omegle.” What is more alarming is that these curious kids often see disturbing images on the website.
“Four out of the five said that they regularly visited these chat roulette sites like “Omegle” at slumber parties in middle school. They said a lot of times, it was a nude male. And they would either just click away or, even more alarmingly, tell him how disgusting he was because they felt empowered doing that. She also said she regularly visited in her "room,” explained Dr. Bennett.
Repeat exposure to explicit material can lead to mental health issues for kids.
“Kids tell me you know they're filled with anxiety, alarm, horror, guilt, sometimes shame. Sometimes it's really depressing because they discover that the website isn't a safe and secure place and they're not as protected as they thought they were,” says Dr. Bennett.
Since predators know they have free access to minors, they continue to seek them out. Dr. Bennett recommends warning your kids about predators who use chat rooms to groom and lure innocent victims.
“We think that our teenagers aren't listening to us when they roll their eyes, and they make fun of us and they want to be alone in their room. But the research shows clearly, as does my mothering experience, as does my clinical experience, that they still are accepting our influence,” explained Dr. Bennett.
ABC Action News reached out to “Omegle” several times to get a comment for this story, but they never responded to our emails or calls. To learn more about how to stay safe online, you can visit Bennett's website here for advice.
