Chatrooms - A Bad Connection | Teen Ink

Chatrooms - A Bad Connection

January 10, 2009
By Anonymous

Constantly teenagers and young adults meet people online through chat rooms and other sites. Sites like MySpace and Facebook have chatrooms available for anyone to enter, and these hotspots could be the vital end. Despite the fact that there are real life nightmares that were a result of internet chatrooms, teenagers still give away information about themselves on the all acces web. Predators lie about their age and name, and say the most sparkling information about themselves just to catch the interest of a young adult. Chatting online is not a crime against the world, but it has ruined so many young adults' lives.

MySpace, probably the most known social networking site, is the most talked about site on news programs, TV, and radios, and another site Facebook is beginning to rise. Other sites such as YouTube and Veoh.com are websites that allow videos to be posted, showing even more about a person. Natually these sites attract a lot of teenagers around the world, but on the unfortunate side, these sites captivate many sick and horrible people who do not have their head on straight. Chatrooms enable anyone of any age to enter and talk with anyone, and because of this, many teenagers and young adults have ended up raped, kidnapped, or dead. Every year, thousands of teens talk to people that they have met through the web, and their stories end in a nightmare that could have been prevented.

A good question is 'Where are the parents?', and that is a great question. Why are parents not paying attention to their child when he or she is using the computer? With technology today, you can check the history of what sites your child has been to, and some computers have restricted time so their kid may only have a certain amount of internet time on the computer. Yet, more and more teenagers are talking to a stranger behind their parent's back, and they are getting away with it! To answer 'Where are the parents?', they most likely trust their son or daughter. Even when a parent catches their child talking to a mysterious person, they might just say 'No, do not do it again.', and leave it at that. Still the child could still be talking to that same stranger, and be more secretive about it. Why do parents not consider that possibility? Maybe they are busy and do not stop long enough to realize that their teenager is constantly on the computer as if their eyes are glued to the screen.

Meeting people over the web could be a happy start for a shy person, but it is not always a happy start in the end. Teenagers constantly think that they will never be murdered or kidnapped by anyone, but before they can blink, they watch their life flash before their very eyes. Unfortunately, this fact does not prevent teens from typing on that keyboard and logging into MySpace. Even though MySpace has turned over a large number of predators, teenagers choose to ignore it, and talk through a chatroom in hopes of a relationship or best friend. No one should go to the measure of internet dating or talking to people on the internet because those people are probably the one's who are not well known at school or a person with no social activities to attend to. Why go to a site and talk to someone you cannot even see physically when you can just go and introduce yourself to someone at your school? It is pratically the same thing, but you know that you are talking to someone who you know for sure will not stalk you or hurt you. Internet relationships are not the lead to a happy ending. Teenagers should look at the non-fiction stories of real teens just like them get brutally murdered or scarred for life. They should ask themselves, "Do I want to end up that way? Do I want to have my neck wripped open or bullets in my head?"

Teenagers should not be wrapped up on the computer all day talking to people they have never met before because it is an unhealthy lifestyle. They lock themselves in their room and type on a keyboard all day, and it seems boring, but it sure interests many teens. Not only do those teens live unhealthily, they begin to change themselves. At school, they cannot have access to a website or chatroom so it is like withdrawal, and these teens turn moody and depressed. They cannot wait to get home and talk to their inernet buddies, but what about their friends. Teenagers who talk constantly on the internet will begin to lose friends, lie, and their grades will most likely drop. It is true that people change through life, but becoming depressed and moody is no way for a growing child to act. High school is supposed to be a good time in life because you are young, and you have a lot of energy and strength. Teens who lock themselves up during this time are truly unhappy, and they are not enjoying the high school life. Why lock youself up in a room all day when you could be with other people and be playing sports or going shopping? What is the point in staying in a room all day looking at a computer screen? Is it truly that addicting? Apparently, yes, the internet is easily attatched by people. An addiction is the perfect word to describe chatting online because once you start, it is difficult to withdraw from it.

Internet chatrooms are dangerous and like alcohol, it is almost irresistable to stop, and these rooms are locking teenagers in all countries. Just the same as a teen magnet, these chatrooms and social sites are attracting mysterious strangers. These strangers can be a teen's murderer for all anyone knows; thus, leading to another nightmare that could have been prevented.

Teens, do not turn to internet connections. What is it worth? You will become addicted to talking to all these strangers that could be 40 years old. Do not get attatched to a site all day because you have better things to do. You have your frineds. Do not trade them for your internet buddies. You have your family, and they are the one's who you will always want to keep in hand because anything unexpected may occur. Remember the nightmares of other young adults just like you who never thought of getting kidnapped or worse. Lastly do not ruin your life over the internet because someday you will have bad connection and have no one else.

The author's comments:
I am inspired to write this because I am seeing many of my friends talk to people online constanlty, and it is beginning to take over their lives. I want to encourage teens that talking on the internet is not a good connection to other people.

Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 4 comments.


Meenu said...
on Jan. 4 2017 at 8:57 pm
Thank you so much author..to say frankly u opened my eyes...it inspired me a lot...

on Jan. 22 2016 at 12:11 pm
landpearl BRONZE, Shallotte, North Carolina
4 articles 0 photos 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Now I will believe that there are unicorns.&quot;<br /> -The Tempest

What about the thrill of meeting people? There's more than one culture out there, and I like chatting online because it allows me to be exposed to so many different people and learn about them. I've never been outside the U.S. and I've met people from all over! England, Italy, Asia, Africa, Iceland. Learning so much about so many places is an amazing thing. I've loved doing it. I honestly feel really sorry for you if you can't see the beauty in that.

on Jul. 5 2015 at 5:10 am
Gunner was an American Bulldog which is a different breed than an American Pit Bull Terrier.

Patrick said...
on Jan. 15 2014 at 10:51 am
This has helped me a lot. I started chatting on chat room two days ago. I feel all I want to do is to chat with people online. I was addicted to it but something tells me I should get out of it and stop. I'm 16 so I might have a bit of control. So I google this problem and found many helpful info like this site. I decied to stop but I still can't do it. I regret going on this site. Now I know Idk if I can stop. Any helpful advice?

on Aug. 27 2013 at 11:48 am
LindseyGirl235 PLATINUM, Hamer/dillon, South Carolina
29 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
I&#039;ll love you forever and always to the moon and back 4,000 .Your mine forever I&#039;ll love you alwayes.

I have been indulged with my facebook account. I chose it over my own family. how do you st op an obsession that bad???