Omegle is an anonymous text and video chatroom, it connects strangers to talk with each other
What is Omegle chat?
- Omegle is a free online chat website that allows users to communicate with others without the need to register. Wiki
- Omegle’s slogan is: “Talk to strangers!”
- When you use Omegle chat, it picks another user at random and lets you have a one-on-one chat with each other. Omegle
- Omegle’s website is free to use. Their app costs $0.99.
- Omegle also has a video chat feature. The content in video chat rooms is not moderated by administrators.
- Omegle chat is extremely popular. Any time of the day there are thousands of users online available to chat.
Omegle users can share personal information with strangers via text or video
Omegle users can share personal information with strangers.
Omegle’s description on iTunes says:
“Chats are completely anonymous, although there is nothing to stop you from revealing personal details if you choose to.”
Only the topic and campus can be chosen for the conversation
- You can set the topic for the conversation.
- Omegle chat also can search for your interests on your Facebook page and pair you with a user with similar interests.
- Students can have a conversation with someone from their college campus (they need to verify their school .edu emails).
Omegle contains inappropriate and unmoderated content, kids under 18 should avoid it
Omegle chat is not for kids
- This chat “encourages” an age restriction of 18+ because of inappropriate content. However, no one monitors the content. Younger kids can access the chat without any problem.
- The service only offer users to choose “Adult” or “Unmoderated Section”, where no one monitors and no one is responsible for the content of the chat room.
Nothing is 100% private! People easily take screenshots of Omegle chats and post them online
Screenshots of private chats can be taken
Even if Omegle chat is anonymous, people take screenshots and post them online. The most popular are screenshots of video chats. On most of them you can clearly see peoples’ faces and their conversations.
Anonymous apps have been used by predators, Omegle is no exception
Omegle chat has been used by predators
Two 13-year-old Minnesota girls were kidnaped and sexually assaulted by a 23-year-old, whom they met on Omegle. Fox 9 News, October 2nd, 2014
Moreover, Omegle has been involved in criminal cases in Wisconsin, California and Washington. ChicagoNow.
Have a dialog with your kids about anonymous services, give them real examples of trouble that can happen
What can teachers and parents do to keep kids/students safe?
- We don’t recommend Omegle for kids under 18 years.
- However, trying to forbid or block the service usually doesn’t work for kids.
- Instead, have a dialog with your kids and explain that online services are not completely anonymous.
- Explain to your kids that sharing their real names, age, phone number, or address with people they don’t know is dangerous and can cause a lot of trouble.
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