Instant Messaging (IM)

How do kids use it?

Kids use Instant Messaging (IM) programs to chat with friends to make plans together, talk about interests, likes, dislikes, etc. Kids may:

  • Send files (e.g. pictures, videos, etc.) over IM.
  • Play online games with their contacts.
  • Send emoticons to friends/buddies on their contact list.
  • Use various chat lingo when conversing with their contacts
  • Bully their peers via IM.

Some IM programs allow users to display interests, such as musical interests, to all of their contacts.

One thing to remember is IM programs do allow the use of webcams.

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