New safety block on MXit
Controversial cellphone chat network MXit has launched a parental-control function to stop children accessing adult chat rooms during the school holidays.
But the new trial-run blocking function may not be enough to keep teens safe from predatory adults using the service.
The function has been running since December 5 and will operate until the end of the school holidays, when its effectiveness will be reviewed, MXit announced.
“This block function allows parents to restrict access to MXit chat rooms ,” said MXit chief executive Herman Heunis.
This follows incidents in recent months involving runaway teens who met strangers on the popular cellphone service.
Last month Jean-Pierre Botes, 21, was arrested for allegedly abducting two 14-year-old girls from their Pretoria home after meeting them on MXit.
The father of one girl, identified only as Wikus, said: “The function can block kids talking to adults. But it can’t stop them talking to a friend of a friend [who may be an adult], they can’t block that.”
MXit’s brand manager, Laura Hallam, said because registering users have to supply their age, this made it possible to restrict chat rooms: “Most of our chat rooms are age-restricted. If you access a chat room restricted to 14-year-olds and you are 25 or older, the system will restrict you from doing so,” said Hallam.
Once parents enable the block function, all access to chat rooms and chat zones will be blocked and can only be reversed by typing in the correct password.
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