Following the announcement of the withdrawal of Microsoft MSN Chatrooms, after a revelation that Britain’s 52 million paedophiles are able to use these facilities to “groom” potential victims for abuse, a shocking study has revealed that due to a worrying increase in “technological literacy” among today’s children, it is possible that young people will still be able to communicate using such tools as Microsoft Instant Messenger and mobile telephones. Should paedophiles obtain instant messenger addresses or telephone numbers for these children, this disgraceful “grooming” process may continue, aided and abetted by “Big Business” such as Microsoft, AOL and Vodafone. And it gets worse. Even if these companies respond to popular pressure, put profit to one side in the interests of children and withdraw these services as well, it is possible that Britain’s youth will continue to be vulnerable to perverts through communication using the spoken English language or through letters sent via the postal service.

The only answer is therefore that new laws must be brought into force making any attempt to communicate, either orally, in writing or using sign language, with anyone under the age of 16 a criminal offence punishable with up to 5 years in prison. These new rules may create difficulties exciting challenges for parents and educators in bringing up and schooling this country's young people, but this is a small price to pay for protecting these children.

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What does anyone think about Microsoft shutting MSN chatrooms because they are sometimes used by paedophiles. Presumably, the benefit to Microsoft from running the free chatrooms was a forum to advertise itself and its own products and services, plus revenue from running ads for other companies. I wonder whether Microsoft have just realised it was costing them more than it was benefiting them and the paedophile thing was just the final straw/the excuse to get rid.