By Paul O’Connor, Contributing Writer

For people of various ages and circumstances, COVID-19 brought an abundance of free time. For some, this meant more time spent outdoors. Others were inclined to turn toward activities such as reading, playing chess or solving puzzles. But many young people turned increased attention to online and social media platforms. The usual platforms like TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram predictably soared in popularity and use, but the pandemic contributed to the emergence—and in some cases the re-emergence—of some lesser-known platforms.

One of these platforms is an anonymous, free online chat service called Omegle. Originally launched in 2009, Omegle has exploded in popularity over the course of the pandemic. First, there is a chat feature in which you’re paired anonymously with another user. In the forum, you’re free to chat about any topic with the stranger, and in many circumstances, links to outside social media or chat accounts are shared. The two users are free to stay in the forum as long as desired; however, the chat ends when one of the users leaves. Next is a “spy” feature, where a question or prompt is submitted anonymously by an Omegle user, and two different users are placed in a chat forum to discuss the question or prompt. The writer of the question or prompt can watch over the discussion, but they’re invisible and cannot contribute. Finally, there is the mega-popular conferencing feature. With this, users talk with others face to face much like Facetime or Skype. Users have the power to disable their cameras, but the primary format is a face-to-face video chat with live audio. Identities of users remain anonymous within the “conferencing” feature. However, as in the chat forum, nothing prevents users from exchanging personal information or links to outside social media or chat accounts.

There is another dimension to the “conferencing” feature: an unmoderated section. This feature is also a part of Omegle’s video chat service. Whereas the regular conference feature is claimed to be monitored, the unmoderated section, as its name suggests, is not. As a result, users frequently come across sexually graphic material, some live and others prerecorded and attached as promotion for outside accounts. In fact, on almost every feature within the service, monitored and unmonitored, users will come across pasted links to outside accounts and quickly ended chats, often as promotion for sexual content. As with most social media and online services, there is a designated age barrier to Omegle’s unmoderated section, but it is extremely easy to breach. There is no age verification process. As a result, it is easy for a child below the appropriate age to see the stated age restriction and proceed into the text chat or video chat forum. 

Websites without an age verification process that advertise pornography and feature adult content are not uncommon. In fact, most mainstream pornography websites don’t have age verification processes. However, what’s unusual about Omegle is the fact that children are encouraged to participate in the “moderated” features, which are displayed alongside this other service. With just a few clicks, children can transition from a theoretically friendly space to a place that Omegle admits is filled with unsafe adult content. And this fact is made worse by the reality that many adults on the unmoderated side of the service look for exactly this type of situation: curious children who stumble onto a side of the service they aren’t equipped to handle. As a result, the prospect of a child being manipulated is considerable. 

For parents with children with access to the internet, the threats posed by Omegle and similar services may pose a challenge. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach for broaching the topic of safe online activity with children. The main thing to understand is that even on anonymous platforms such as Omegle, actions have meaning and nobody has the luxury of acting without consequence. By nature, Omegle is an interesting and appealing service that appeals to both children and adults. Interactions on Omegle can be enjoyable, and anonymity can have a liberating effect on conversation. However, caution is necessary. Take the time to talk to your children about the dangers of Omegle and similar sites. 

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