“I was about nine when my cousin and I were on Omegle and we were talking to a man in his 40-50s. We thought he was nice because he was smiling, but then he pulled down his pants. Underwear and all. Today I don’t trust any form of online communication other than very well known applications like Instagram or Snapchat. I feel like it’s something that I won’t ever forget,” a West Ottawa senior said.
“BREAKING NEWS: Omegle has officially shut down after 14 years.”
My phone lit up. I click on the post to scroll through the comments. Millions of people were devastated by this tragedy. With Youtubers running out of content and slumber party plans being ruined, was it worth shutting down a website that brought so many together? Too many young victims, it was.
On November 8, 2023, Founder Leif K-Brooks came to the conclusion that Omegle needed to be shut down. The reasoning for the shutdown of this popular website was because of too many cases of Pedophilia. “There can be no honest accounting of Omegle without acknowledging that some people misused it, including to commit unspeakably heinous crimes,” K-Brooks said in his statement about shutting Omegle down. Although K-Brooks did not address pedophilia specifically, many have spoken up about the adversity than have faced.
“I saw my first nude body on there when I was 6 years old. I was hanging out with my cousin and it traumatized me but I just want to feel mature and included,” former West Ottawa student Shylee Sellers said. Plenty of students from the area have been on Omegle, but what does the impact of pedophilia have on these young teens?
Exposure to porngraphy at a young age can lead to many problems as a child is growing up. It can lead to poor mental health, sexism, sexual violence, and many other outcomes. It also portrays toxic behavior such as abuse and misogynistic behavior.
According to Legaljobs, a blog that brings news, insight, and other information to legal professionals, 90.73% of teens have encountered sexual content online. Online predator reports increased 106% at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over 80% of child sex crimes arose from social media. It is no surprise that these crimes continue to happen with the internet being so vast.
“It can make inappropriate behaviors feel more ‘normal’ at a young age. It can also cause some anxiety within adolescents and children.I have seen children become sneaky with their technology and exhibit more destructive behaviors. Harassment and grooming can lead to feelings of worthlessness and poor self-esteem in our youth. This can cause individuals to feel as if they need to do whatever the perpetrator is asking in order to feel valued.” West Ottawa’s School Psychologist Lauren Dolan said.
“I would never use it again personally but I like that I knew for sure growing up this was a bad thing and I never wanted to partake. I forsure don’t see the internet as a safe place for kids at all anymore. It is inevitable that kids are going to be exposed to the internet,”said Holland resident Kristina Trevino.
Omegle being shut down was for the best. The memories of being bullied, groomed, and flashed taunt children and teens forever. The internet just got a little bit safer, but we as humans have a long way to come. If you have ever been sexually harassed, groomed, bullied online, you are not alone.
