Diary

Spectator, The, Jan 25, 2003 by Wakefield, Mary

Ateenaee friend of mine Tamm points out that a few days of aimless online voyeurism does not make me an expert on chat rooms. According to her, although they do have a lot of 'cybersex', teenagers also conduct meaningful relationships on the Net. Tammy met her first girlfriend online. She was several years older and in college, but I suppose these things matter less when you never have to meet in person. Apparently, they stayed together and 'faithful' to each other for four months. A contemporary of Tammy's discovered after three years that her online boyfriend was 24, five years older than he had said he was and nine years older than her. Undeterred, she plans to move in with him when she leaves school. But perhaps the weirdest aspect of these virtual romances is that 14- and 15-year-olds go on elaborate imaginary dates with each other, creating realistic scenarios and 'chatting' as if they were together. I imagine them typing away, across continents: `I've just ordered a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese and switched on the PlayStation2. Do you want to play Grand Theft Auto or Metal Gear Solid?'

Mary Wakefield is assistant editor of The Spectator.