Why do Children love to Chat on the Internet?

Children have always enjoyed talking in the playground or chatting on the phone and now they can send SMS,MMS, IM and email messages to their friends via their mobile phones.

These types of communications are generally one-to-one and the children are normally aware of whom they are communicating with.

Technologies are used to overcome the ‘face-to-face barriers’ that children and many adults encounter when meeting people.

Levels of fear and anxiety can drop dramatically when face-to-face communication is not used.

In chat rooms questions like 'What if she thinks I am unattractive?' or 'Will he like the colour of my hair?' seem less relevant to young people, making it easier for them to communicate with one another.

Internet chat differs to most other forms of modern communication.  Children in a chat room can be communicating individually and with others all at the same time.

If they choose to do so they can remain anonymous and limit the information they provide, which can be a more comfortable situation for young people.

The combination of:

• being able to chat instantly
• being able to meet old friends and create new ones online
• staying anonymous if so desired
• having it all at a very low cost or free

makes chatting online one of the most popular ways for children to communicate today.