Omegle

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Anonymous chat site created by teen is too risky for kids.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this chat site’s catchphrase, "Talk to strangers!", says it all. Though created by an 18-year-old, Omegle is not for kids. The site puts two strangers together in a chat room. Though chats start out anonymous, users often ask for and share personal information. Language is uncensored and sexual come-ons and requests for email addresses are common. Omegle can be fun when both users desire a real conversation. It might be worth the effort for older teens willing to sift through the trash talk. But younger kids, especially girls, should steer clear.

  • The site asks users to make an effort to engage in interesting conversations and not start chats with the annoying "ASL" (age, sex, location). But Omegle's "talk to strangers" motto reinforces the anonymous nature of the exchange and sends a somewhat disturbing message.
  • No threats encountered, though the site blog mentions instances of harassment "through vulgarity, spamming and so on."
  • Sexually charged conversations are common and one of our chats began with a demand for cybersex via webcam.
  • Run-of-the-mill swear words, one misogynistic insult, and several "f--ks".
  • One ad, for a competing chat site called WooMe.
  • Privacy is up to the user. Chats can be completely anonymous, or users can say or reveal anything they like with no site intervention. After a chat is terminated, either user can save the conversation to an HTML log file that can be shared with others. There are no age requirements to use the site and no parental controls.

Is it any good?

 

Omegle takes anonymous two-person chat to the next, satirical level with its tongue-in-cheek "Talk to strangers!" slogan and “You” and “Stranger” chat handles. The interface is barebones, but the 'tude makes it a hipper choice some other chat sites. There are even iPhone and iPod versions for "strangers on the go." Meeting a (possibly beautiful) stranger online gives anonymous chat sites like Omegle an element of danger and excitement that most kids crave.  Teen creator Leif K-Brooks describes it simply as a place to "make new friends," and we did chat with some nice kids. But it's also a fertile hunting ground for sexual predators who can take advantage of the anonymity. K-Brooks says he's working to make the site safer. Until then we don't recommend it for kids younger than 17.

Online interaction: Stranger-to-stranger chat sites tend to have more than their share of meat-market behavior. Judging from how quickly we got dumped every time we identified as a male, there are lots of boys here -- or men pretending to be boys -- on the prowl. 


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What families can talk about

  • Is there anything to be gained from talking to strangers on an uncensored chat site like Omegle? What makes people say silly or ugly things to complete strangers? Read our tips on social networking.

  • Revisit Internet rules of safety: never share your real name, age, phone number, or address with people you don’t know. 


This review was written by Carla Thornton
Teen, 17 years old
March 22, 2011
 
i like omegle i don't think its for younger kids but deffintly for older did you know that there is an adult omegle...

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Adult
April 11, 2010
 
Omegle is ONLY for responsible teens and up
Omegle can be fun -I've had some great conversations that have been truly educational and fun! There are also some issues, horny men and teens abound, trolls are everywhere, and there are lots of users who swear, talk about any subject they want, share links to questionable material, ask for personal information such as e-mail addresses or facebook, or demand chat/webcam sex. For any child, or teens that aren't responsible, omegle* can be downright dangerous. For responsible ones, it can be fun!

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Teen, 17 years old
April 30, 2011
 
Omegle. Its a ball in the bag, really..... and caution is needed.
This is a site which had a good idea, but sadly the users abuse the site. I think the site offers teens the chance to learn about other cultures and what it is like and make new friends, as i have done and keep in touch via Facebook, Instant Messaging etc. As i have used the site for nearly a year, i know the negatives of this site as well. Put simply, sexual content is a very big issue. I am only a teen myself and male and the majority of users are male and ask if you are female etc, but there are also good people on there too, as i have experienced and keep in touch. It does take a while to get to the good people. My overall view is if you are willing to be adventurous and have some fun with friends or on your own, Omegle is a good site and make some new friends in the long run. The negatives are that the majority of users post sexual based content, and this is clearly shown in the camera only option, and also the text. I recommend that young girls in particular avoid the webcam option and also take extreme caution. I wouldn't recommend this site for under 15 years, and girls in particular should be careful and take caution about giving the URL of your Facebook profile, but the important thing is, have fun!

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Kid, 12 years old
March 21, 2011
 
NOT FOR KIDS
My friend showed me this website and really there is a LOT of bad things on it and my friend likes to chat me too but we immeditaley disconnect if there is something bad like they say they r naughty or want to go on webcam. My friend had went on webcam one time and some guy was on there who showed his genitals. I really wouldn't recommend for me. Wait until you are 13 or older or until you are mature. It's very disappointing how some things are in this world. Never go on webca, you are just being stupid if you do. I haven't and don't want to.

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Kid, 13 years old
February 24, 2011
 
its full of stalkers and creepy weirdos dont go on the webcam page defo (ive not been on it but ive heard horrid things about it)

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Adult
January 7, 2011
 
REALLY BAD!
It's horrible! Nothing good comes from it. I went on just to see what it's about. I know people are untruthful. So was I. People who go on this site should be aware of hackers/trackers. Scary stuff. This site or any other sites that is similar to this should be banned! I highly agree with what I just said. What a waste of time to meet people! Not a good idea at all. Meeting people on the internet is always wrong. This upsets me a lot!

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Teen, 14 years old
August 4, 2010
 
discusting
alot of sexual behavior

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Teen, 14 years old
April 21, 2011
 
Fun, addictive but has a lot of iffy stuff
Site is fun and addictive. But there are all people of all ages on the site. Some are nice people who r just looking for a good chat. Oters personal information. And some are pervert who demand cyber sex or sex chats. The site can be fun if u talk to the right people and it can be safe if u are careful about the people u talk to and what info u give out. Bottom line, how safe the site is is up to the user. But the inapropreat content is somewht up to the user but every user does eventually run into a pervert or creeper.

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Adult
August 30, 2009
 
Fun to use when you're bored! You might get to know some interesting things
Yes, you basically talk to strangers with this, parents. However, as long as you have stressed the dangers of giving out your name and age to these people, then you're good to go. Languge? Depends on the person, always expect it, but it shouldn't be a big deal for anyone over 13+ (this goes by my saying that if you don't want your child to hear something in the media, its a good chance he's already heard it tons of times at school, you can't keep your children innocent forever anyway, you'll hurt them in the process). I've used this several times and actually got a few interesting conversations going, one from a person living in German, as far as he told me. Overall, its a fun, safe, anonymous way to talk to anyone across the world about anything you want.

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Kid, 12 years old
April 6, 2011
 
Nice people, and some perverted people.
Boys will often ask if you're a girl, and if yes they will ask for pictures and ASL. I do meet funny people. But most of the time, just boys and girls wanting to cyber. You can't report.. Which sucks. A site that could be used for fun..now are in the hands of perverts and pedos.

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This review was written by Carla Thornton
This review was written by Carla Thornton

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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