Texas Personal Injury Attorneys News: Texas Attorney General issues consumer warning to parents over video chat site, Chatroulette

2010-03-19 16:02:13 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Personal Injury, Press Release)

03/16/2010

Dallas, TX (Press Release)—The Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, is warning parents and caretakers to restrict their children from the increasingly popular video chat web site, Chatroulette, which may expose them to sexually explicit behavior or sex offenders, as reported by the Dallas Morning News. Amy K. Witherite, Texas’ front runner in litigating personal injury claims, is urging parents to heed the Attorney General’s consumer warning, which could potentially save your child or loved one’s life.

Chatroulette is a web site that randomly pairs up strangers for webcam-based conversations, in which the other person can see you live as you hold your conversation through typing. This new-age Internet chat service also has hidden dangers, especially for children. Chatroulette give sex offenders, criminals, and other dangerous people access to young children through the randomly selected live video chat services. There is no required login or registration to begin chatting, making it very accessible to kids and people with less than good intentions. Abbot reported that a Cyber Crimes Unit undercover investigation revealed that “nearly half of the randomly selected users encountered by investigators immediately expose themselves and conduct sexually explicit acts on camera.”

Parents and caretakers are being reminded to do their part in making sure that their children or loved ones are not engaging in such activities by putting computers in common rooms so they can monitor their children. Parents are also being urged to keep computers out of children’s bedrooms, or to disable their Web cameras. According to Enough is Enough http://www.enough.org/, an internet safety organization that works to protect our nations children, “Four percent of all youth Internet users received aggressive sexual solicitations, which threatened to spill over into “real life”. These solicitors asked to meet the youth in person, called them on the telephone, or sent offline mail, money, or gifts. Also 4 percent of youth Internet users had distressing sexual solicitations that left them feeling upset or extremely afraid (Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later, 2006).” In addition, “14 percent of 7th-9th grade students reported that they had communicated with someone online about sexual things; 11 percent of students reported that they had been asked to talk about sexual things online; 8 percent have been exposed to nude pictures and 7 percent were also asked for nude pictures of themselves online. (Rochester Institute of Technology, 2008).”

Leading personal injury attorney, Amy K. Witherite asserts, “It is our job to protect our children from such predators, and unwanted behavior. By keeping a close watch on your children’s online activities, you may actually be saving their lives. We don’t always know whom the other person really is when chatting online, or their underlying intentions.” If you or someone you know has been hurt or emotionally damaged by online activities, due to a Web site’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your damages. Contacting a trained lawyer in personal injury claims may help you recover the damages you deserve.

Texas personal injury news and education by Dallas personal injury lawyer: Amy K. Witherite.?
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