Up to 20,000 Chinese log on to chat rooms each night in various states of
undress and communicate using webcams, the Shanghai Daily newspaper said on
Tuesday, citing China Youth Association researcher Liu Gang.
"At first, we thought it was merely a game for a few mentally abnormal people,"
the paper quoted Liu as saying. "But as our research continued, we found the
problem was much larger than expected."
Participants in the sites download chat software and attach video cameras to
their computers, the paper reported. They then "talk with others while exposing
themselves and performing provocative poses," it said.
Liu said he gathered data on 10 site participants, eight of whom were single
men aged 25-35 without steady jobs, it said.
"Child development authorities worry that baring one's body to strangers will
have negative consequences on a youngster's personal growth," the paper said.
China has tightened policing of the web following alarms over blogs, chat
rooms, and instant messages that have challenged restrictions on content.
China has more than 87 million internet users, the second largest after the
United States.
