Most parents want to think their children are perfect, that they do no wrong, and that they would never be stupid enough to do something crazy like give their name, address, school, or any other identifiable information out to strangers on the internet.
I hate to be the one to break it to you, but that's just about as accurate as saying the no one under the age of 21 would ever dare try an alcoholic beverage.
The internet makes meeting and connecting with new people way too easy. There are so many chat websites just for the sole purpose of talking to strangers, or even videoing strangers. There are even websites for young children with chat abilities, such as Club Penguin. May not have been the brightest idea on Disney's part to give young, vulnerable children the ability to chat with strangers, but that's their choice. I will admit, I've had my fair share of internet stupidity, especially when I was young. Coke Rewards used to have a chat function when I was in sixth grade that me and my best friend at the time would get on to talk. One night though, she introduced me to a boy who claimed to be our age and from Canada named Omar. We talked to him for weeks after that, and eventually he started just talking to me by myself. He complimented me and told me how much he liked me and finally asked if he could meet me and where I lived. Luckily my older brother was there and immediately reported him and blocked him so he couldn’t get into contact with me or my friend again. Now he very well could have been a 12 year old from Canada, but then why would he want to come down to Texas to meet with some random 12 year old girl he had only talked to for about two months? Sketchy? Very, very sketchy.
Me and my roommates also use a website called Omegle to talk to random strangers from around the world that has not only a chat ability, but a video ability so you can see the strangers you're talking to. Although its technically anonymous, I can’t tell you how many times strangers on there give out way more information about themselves than necessary. It's scary how stupid and naïve some people can be when it comes to internet safety.
Think before you type. Please.
I really liked this post because it included a real story from your life. It was interesting to read that and then see what you learned from that situation. I think that more people should talk about their situations in an effort to warn others not to do the same thing. It is easy to ignore others when they are just telling you what to do but don't have anything to back it up with. If young kids could hear actual stories about what can and did go wrong for others they may be less likely to try it themselves.
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