Microsoft's decision to shut down its chat rooms next month in a crackdown on spammers and paedophiles has met with mixed reactions from education IT specialists.
IT consultant Chris Smith said the decision was 'a little like the doctor amputating an arm rather than first looking for a cure for the infection'.
Most Microsoft chat room users would move to another provider or develop their own online chat areas, he said.
Kelvin Chua Hwee-meng, director of Computertots Hong Kong, said the decision was short-term. It would be more effective to teach children how to use the web safely and make sure their parents monitored them.
Peter Woodhead, information and communication technology co-ordinator at the English Schools Foundation, said any move that protected young people was welcome. 'It might seem drastic but the Internet is a risky environment,' he said.
Web of intrigue - E4