Teen Chat Help

Getting started

1. Open the chat. Click the Enter Teen Chat button on the front page, or the Chat link at the top of any page.
2. Pick how to sign in. You can look around as a guest, but you need an account to join in.
3. Register. Choose a username of up to 15 characters, and give an email address and a password. You may need to confirm your email before you can log in.
4. Start chatting. Type in the box at the bottom of the room and press Enter.

Guests and members

This is the part people ask about most:

If you log in as a guest and try to type, the chat will tell you to register. Registering is free and takes a minute.

Chatting in the rooms

• Type your message in the box at the bottom and press Enter to send it.
• Messages in the main chat can be up to 300 characters, so long thoughts may need two messages.
• Click a username in the user list to open their profile, where you can add them as a friend, send a private message, ignore them or report them.
• Use the smiley button for emoticons, and the GIF button to search for a GIF. See our emoticons page for the full set.
• English only in the main chat, and keep it PG-13. The full list is in our chat rules.
• Take short breaks. Rest your eyes, get up and move around every now and then, especially after chatting for a long time.

Private messages

• Open someone's profile and choose Private to start a private chat. Private messages can be up to 400 characters.
• You choose who can message you. In your settings, set private chat to everyone, members only, friends only, or off.
• Child safety is on by default. It stops older members from private messaging younger members. We strongly recommend leaving it on.
• Private messages are kept for a limited time and then removed automatically, so report anything worrying as soon as you see it.

Your profile

• Add a profile picture and a cover picture, write a mood and an About Me, and choose your text colour.
• Keep everything on your profile clean and appropriate: the chat rules apply to your username, pictures, mood and bio too.
• Every so often we reset all profile pictures across the site. This makes sure nothing inappropriate is missed, and simply means uploading yours again.
• Changing your username costs 2,000 gold, and you cannot change it while you are muted.

Gold, gifts and levels

• You earn gold automatically while you are active in the chat. VIP members earn it faster.
• Gold is used for gifts, username changes and games.
• Sending a gift to someone is a nice way to say thanks, and gifts show on their profile.

What VIP adds

VIP is optional. Teen Chat works without it, but VIP members get extras:

Full details and prices are on the VIP page.

Games and bots

• Games sit behind the + button beside the chat box. You can play dice, keno and the jackpot wheel with your gold, and VIP members also get the slot machine.
• Our quiz bot runs word games in the rooms. Answer first to win.
• Never bet gold you would rather keep. Games are for fun.

Staying safe and reporting

• Report a message by clicking the three dots (...) beside it. For a private message, use the gear icon. For someone's profile, use the flag icon.
• Ignore anyone you do not want to hear from, and you will stop seeing their messages.
• Tell a moderator. Moderators have a shield icon beside their name and sit at the top of the user list.
• Your report is private. We never tell the person you reported who reported them.
• Read our safety page for advice on protecting your privacy, spotting warning signs and where to get help.

Your account

• Forgotten password? Use the password reset link on the login screen and follow the email we send you.
• Settings. Open the menu to change your theme, sounds, text colour and private chat settings.
• Deleting your account. You can delete it yourself from the Options tab of your profile.
• Inactive accounts. Accounts with no activity for 30 days are deleted automatically, so log in now and then to keep your username.
• Banned by mistake? Contact us and we will look at it again.

If something goes wrong

Still need help?

• Ask a moderator in the chat. They are usually the fastest answer.
• Visit the Teen Chat Forums to ask other members or report something.
• Looking for a bigger community? Our friends at: Teen Chat welcome you.
• Use our Contact Us page for anything else, including suggestions for this page.