Sharon H in IL Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Our HP monitor is webcam-less. We don't skype or such. But recently we got wifi for the house, and DS 14 is playing online games with some of his friends. He wants to skype-while-playing to make it more social. I'm in favor of the social aspect, but I've heard scary stories about online predators, or even non-predators who are just people with much lower standards for adolescent behavior than I have. What are the pros and cons? Help me out, Hive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Nope. Definitely not. It's too easy to send images to the internet and then they are there forever. And it introduces a creepy factor as well. And, if you aren't careful about where the camera is aimed, people get your passwords by watching your keyboard. And it's possible to install software to remotely control the camera so it can be turned on by the person watching it. And kids are stupid and click on things like "win a free GameCube" and suddenly someone else is watching your house thru the camera. That's all the reasons I can think of right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel marie Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 no way !!!! cons out way pros by a million + there are a ton of reasons not to allow. angel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Voice chat would be better. All he would need is a headset with a microphone. Video chat tends to use up too much bandwidth to allow enough for the game. One or the other, if not bot, will probably be choppy. The key is being involved. Keep the computer in the family room, and always be around. Teach him to not give out any personal info online, and to only chat (video, audio, or text based) with people you know and trust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carpe Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Nope. You can skype without video, you just need a mic. There are far too many ways for a teen to get into trouble with a webcam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Yes, but only in a public area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Running the race Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I was going to ask the same question. Now I know my answer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon H in IL Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 Whoops! Forgot to come back to this thread to give a shout out -- thank you for the responses. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 My dd skypes with friends who live other places, but only people she actually knows IRL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 It's perfectly safe as long as you never again leave your teen alone in the house. You'll need to be the Webcam Monitor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Yes, but only in a public area. It's perfectly safe as long as you never again leave your teen alone in the house. You'll need to be the Webcam Monitor. :iagree: Dh has done some work in the past for a company who provided internet accountability software and chat monitoring. As part of his work he got to see a small amount of the kind of stuff that goes on - internet grooming and suchlike - very scary stuff. The likelihood may be small, but the risk is still too big for our comfort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I've been wondering the same thing. My 17yo wants one to do video chat with his girlfriend when she moves away for a while. The only computer is in a family area, and we've talked about security, but I am still leary. A friend of mine had a stranger break in when she was video chatting with her mom. I need a list of security rules/ precautions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I've been wondering the same thing. My 17yo wants one to do video chat with his girlfriend when she moves away for a while. The only computer is in a family area, and we've talked about security, but I am still leary. A friend of mine had a stranger break in when she was video chatting with her mom. I need a list of security rules/ precautions. We live far from our families. We have friends scattered all over the world. Sometimes the only way I see my husband for months at a time is via a webcam. Webcams are the norm in most military households and most teenagers are not being idiots with them. You need to set your security parameters up and keep them tight. Skype has quite a bit of information on this on their site: http://www.skype.com/intl/en/security/online-safety/ I have my privacy set so that only people in my contact list can contact me. I have my status set as invisible except to people I choose to be seen by. If your status is set to "skype me," then you are suspending your chosen privacy controls to let random people contact you. A lot of people don't understand that last bit. My webcam is attached to a desktop that is in a very public area of the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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