Father finds 9-year-old on Omegle

Finally, we have a news article about video chat site Omegle that doesn’t call Omegle an app.

But before we get started, as always I like to instruct any newcomers on what Omegle is. It is a website that allows video chat between two random people. Omegle’s own motto is “Talk to strangers.” Omegle’s video chat can be accessed on any internet enabled device that has a camera and a web browser. That means it can be accessed on smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Omegle has no real age check and can be accessed by anyone of any age. It’s also a haven for predators and child porn collectors.

Now, back to the article in question.

According to WSVN in Miami, a Florida father found his 9-year-old daughter video chatting with some guy on Omegle. When he asked his daughter where she found out about Omegle she reportedly told him she found it through TikTok. WSVN reports that eight billion (with a b) videos on TikTok have the Omegle hashtag attached to it. No 9-year-old girl needs to be on social media unmonitored, even TikTok. While TikTok may seem innocent enough, there is a darker side to TikTok as well.

The article also had this quote…

One blog describes it as the “Wild West” of online communication.

I’d like to think that was this blog, but I digress.

This father is lucky that he caught his daughter before something serious happened. Too many parents of young children have found out about Omegle after a predator has taken advantage of their child.

As usual, I have to emphasize that Omegle is not an app as some media outlets have reported. There is no Omegle icon to look for. It is entirely used through the device’s web browser like Chrome or Edge. If you want to find out if your kids have been on Omegle, you need to check the browser’s history.

While it’s not a perfect solution, I also recommend instituting a no devices in the bedroom rule after bedtime for young children and even teens if it is warranted.

If you know a parent who may not be up on things like Omegle, please share this post with them.