Paying the price for sick online chat

MORE than 200 million people use the Paltalk website.

The site is the largest video chat room community in the world. Although it was not launched as such, one of its unofficial uses is as an “insult chatroom”.

Users log on to the site to insult each other, saying they enjoy the “banter”.

And for the most part, that’s what happens.

But there is a disturbing trend beginning to emerge.

A 43-year-old from Cardiff has become the third Brit to commit suicide live on the site.

The circumstances behind his death are horrific.

He was pursued across the site mercilessly.

And when he tried to tell his tormentors he was depressed, they hounded him more. Eventually, he took his own life. The case raises all kinds of issues around regulating social media sites.

It is incredibly difficult to regulate the behaviour of individuals online.

The internet has given everyone free speech with the added complication of anonymity.

This leads to some appalling – often dangerous – behaviour.

But there are measures that can be taken.

This was a pattern of behaviour that could have been spotted.

The people behind the site should have been aware of the problem.

And they should have stepped in and done more to end the bullying and protect the victim.

Paltalk, like other internet giants, is a multimillion pound business.

Maybe hitting them with tough fines would help.

As would the prospect of prosecutions for failing in their duty of care.