Chat Roulette: A Dangerous Social Gamble

It’s the newest fad on the internet and it’s quite the social gamble.

With only a computerl, webcam and internet access, you’re just a click away from chatting with people all over the world.

But now Chat Roulette adds another element, you don’t know who the site will connect you to.

"Partly it’s the unknown, it’s that kind of tantalizing, what’s coming up next," said Larry Tumblin, Director of Information Services at Ohio University Zanesville.

Believe it or not, Chat Roulette is the brain child of a 17-year old student from Moscow. It started in November last year and now there are about 500,000 visitors a day.

"It would be something that would be very easy for a child could get into quickly," said Tumblin.

When used correctly, Chat Roulette can be pretty interesting. It can connect you to people all across the world. But like anything on the internet, it can cause some concern for parents.

"When I first brought up the site, my Windows Family Safety Filter wouldn’t let it come through," said Tumblin. "Right then I knew this was probably not a kid-friendly zone."

The website says you need to be 16 years old and it won’t tolerate any obscene or pornographic materials, but that’s not always what you’ll see.

"Typically it wouldn’t take very many roulette turns until you’re exposed to things like nudity, profanity, exhibitionists and things like that," said Tumblin.

One person on Chat Roulette we spoke to just got on the sit today for the first time. He wasn’t a fan.

He said the site was "foul" and needed more controls.

Tumblin said to keep your children safe from programs like this, it’s smart to install a family safety filter–that’ll keep site’s like Chat Roulette from coming up.

Also keeping the computer in a public place in the home, like a living room will allow you to monitor what your child is doing.

But for those of age who want to take a spin themselves…

"Be prepared to see things like nudity, profanity, people doing very odd things on the internet," Tumblin said. "If that’s your cup of tea, then it might be something to check out, but you do need to be prepared to see things that you may not want to see."