An agent visiting Connecticut this week demonstrated the dangers of online chat rooms. He posed as a 14-year-old boy and within minutes received sexually suggestive responses. Many of the 12 million children who go online regularly are doing so after school while their parents

are at work. According to customs agents whose job it is to keep track of potentially dangerous encounters, this creates a breeding ground for online stalkers waiting to take advantage of children. They disguise their identities and engage children in keyboard conversations and find out

a child's identity and location. Meanwhile, the child is unaware of their motives.

Submitted on: 03/17/99