Omegle is an online video chat service. If you have ever heard of Chatroulette, it is along the same lines as this kind of service. Basically, you connect to the service along with hundreds, if not thousands of other individuals from around the world. When you log on (you don’t need to create any sort of password at all), you are asked to turn on your Webcam and microphone. This allows you to view and talk directly with the other people you connect with. It is a rather interesting service that is nice for communicating with people you do not know, but as a parent, you need to be very careful with this kind of service.

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Omegle in a Bit More Detail

It is necessary to go into the Omegle Chatroulette alternative in a bit more detail. It is more than just a video cam website that connects you. There are basically thousands of individuals who connect to this service and when you log on, you are randomly connected with another user. You have the ability to chat with this person through voice or through typing, or you can select the “Reject” option at any time. This disconnects you from the other user and Omegle reconnects you momentarily with another user.

You basically can do this for as long or as often as you want. The other visitors on the website have the same feature, so they can back out of a chat at any time. Now, it is possible to connect with the service while not having your Web camera up. There is a special section just for this and there is also the ability to disable the Web camera and/or microphone during the random chat selection as well, although it generally depletes the chances of connecting to another visitor.

There are basically two major element sections to Omegle. There is a general chat feature. It is recommended for you to be over the age of 13, but you do not input any sort of information and the website is not going to check against it. This section is supposed to be visually clean. It does have moderators scanning over the imagery going on here.

Due to this, if someone is exposing themselves in the moderated section, it is only a matter of time until they are bumped from the section. If they are bumped, they must remain off of the moderated section for several weeks before their IP address is cleared and they can rejoin.

The other section is a non-moderated section. This section of the website is basically the adult section. If you log onto it, you are going to encounter a large number of people exposing themselves. In fact, probably a third of those logged on are men exposing their penises. Another large portion is ads for connecting to other sites like Omegle but is in fact just sex chat websites. Again, the website recommends that you are over the age of 18, but it does not check this, and it is possible to log on at any age.

The Danger of Chat Sites like Omegle

Now, this kind of website can be harmless fun. However, you need to be aware of your child using it due to several different problems. First, they are going to talk to strangers. Even if they sign onto the moderated section, they are going to talk to strangers.

Now, there is no information given or shared with other users of Omegle. The other user is only going to find out what your child tells them. Either way, when it comes to Omegle like sites, you need to be very mindful and take your own judgment in determining whether or not it is a good idea for your child to be using such a site.

While using the moderated section, they probably are going to see some people expose themselves. While these users do not last very long on the moderated side of the board, there is a chance they view this sort of content. And on the flip side, they are still able to log onto the non-moderated section, where they are going to be exposed to hundreds of people exposing themselves. There is really no stopping them from connecting in this way as no additional requirements are needed to connect to the website.

One thing to consider though is when using a service such as the non-moderated section of Omegle and alternatives to Omegle, the individuals exposing themselves are not going to be the only major problem your child might run into. Many users stream videos in the section where their Web camera might display their live video feed.

Some people decide to stream pornographic videos, while some do showcase child pornography here. This is something you should keep your child away from, as someone who is playing with this sort of material is more likely to stop a child from viewing their content.

Lastly, in terms of problems with Omegle and why you need to think long and hard about allowing your child to use such a service is that they may be recorded. The individual on the other end can record the Web camera rather easily, which means there might be videos of your child, without you or them knowing of it, stored on someone’s computer.

That alone is creepy enough to try and avoid using the service. Most likely, there are better uses for your child’s time than to log onto Omegle and an Omegle alternative website, but it is something you need to at least know about, so when you check the browser history and find your child is on Omegle, you know what it is.

Alternative to Omegle

There are many Omegle and Chatroulette alternatives on the Internet. Many of these work in exactly the same way and use the same basic platform. On top of this, some of these options are going to have some features that help block out individuals from exposing themselves, while others are just not going to have any sort of moderation at all, and it is up to you to moderate. The websites ChatRandom and Bazoocam are just about exactly the same as Omegle.

As a site like Omegle, these websites have your video stream on one side and you can type in text on the other. In fact, many of these use the same video feeds, so you are going to see the same people, for the most part, on here. VideoChatUS and ChatRad also use these same kinds of features.

If you are a Spanish speaker, QuieroChat works in the same way, and while it has the same basic format, it is not going to feature the same people. Now, if you want some sort of security measure at all, there is LiveCam4. This requires an email address to register for the service. It is very important to not confuse this website with Cam4 though, as Cam4 is a port cam website. In terms of this, where people want to just connect with one another and expose themselves or perform other sexually explicit actions, there is DirtyRoulette.

Again, it works just like all of the other options, although it is geared specifically towards those who want to engage in these sorts of services. ChatRoomly is another Omegle chat alternative, although there are individual chat rooms, so you can see what works best for you and find individuals that might share some of the same interests. iMeetzu is a similar method as well. You can see the different people online before attempting to connect with them. Of course, you are going to run into many of the same issues as you might with the other chat services, where you might be exposed to certain material that you would be with Omegle and Chatroulette

As a parent, you need to be very careful with Omegle and an Omegle like the site. These kinds of websites are generally not a good idea for children, although it ultimately is up to you. The cons just far outweigh the pros in terms of such a website, when you sit down and look at it. First, they can be recorded. Second, sites like Omegle text, so someone can write down everything your child says, so should they give away your address or anything about you or the family, a stranger can have access to all of this information.

Beyond this, they are going to be exposed to nudity, including possibly child nudity. All of this generally points towards the direction of wanting to keep your child free from using such a website, but if you do find it to be at least alright for them to log on, due to their age, you should know what all is out there and what sort of content your child can expect to find. It is a way to connect with new people across the world, but at what cost?