Before getting into the chat room, talk with youth about your experiences in a chat room. If you haven't been to a chat room, find a chat room of your interest and participate. Chat is a public and social place. Chatters learn to 'talk' using the written word and often use shortcuts and emoticons to express what they mean. Shortcuts are acronyms that reduce typing and get the message out fast.
Chatters also use emoticons to help express what they mean.
Look through the resource links for more ideas. Socializing and learning how to talk with others, and learning how to be a citizen of the Internet are an important part of a youth emotional health. Talk with your youth about meeting new people, whether face to face or on-line. Help your youth identify possible topics to talk about, such as pets or music. Many youth have been told not to share that information.