When 12-year-old Samuel* first got his cellphone in January, he was the happiest Grade 7 boy on the planet.
All his friends had cellphones and he wanted desperately to become part of a craze that has taken the country's teenagers by storm. Samuel wanted to become a resident of MXit.
So began an experience that has left Samuel emotionally scarred and psychologically damaged, to the extent that he now attends counselling three times a week.
'Traumatic and nasty experience'
The cute, black-haired boy is a shadow of his former bubbly self, according to his concerned mother Vivienne.
"He was such an outgoing, sociable young man. Since having this traumatic and nasty experience on MXit, Samuel has become withdrawn and angry. It has put our family under tremendous strain," Vivienne said.
Samuel began using MXit immediately after receiving his cellphone.
He explained that at first, he used the network to have conversations with his school friends and sports buddies, but soon he became curious about the chat rooms.
"I just wanted to see what the chat rooms were all about. I didn't plan on getting hooked on chatting," Samuel says, his eyes downcast and his voice a mere whisper.
'The anonymity of chat rooms means that trust and intimacy can develop quickly'
Samuel revealed that he soon began chatting with one particular person, a user who was known to him as "Candy 14".
"We started chatting and she told me she was living in Pietermaritzburg and was 14 years old," Samuel said, adding that he was very pleased with himself for finding himself a 14-year-old female friend who described herself as "spunky, cute and sugar-sweet".
"We spoke about everything, our families, our schools, our likes and dislikes. It was so cool. She told me her real name was Claudia," said Samuel.
Samuel divulged that pretty soon, the conversations became more personal, with "Claudia" asking him about girls, his preferences when it came to choosing girlfriends, what turned him on and other topics that Samuel was loathe to confess.
It was after about a month of chatting on MXit that "Claudia" asked Samuel to meet in person.
Samuel readily agreed, eager to put a face to the name and meet his new friend.
The two set up a meeting for a Saturday afternoon at Milky Lane in Scottsville, where Samuel was going to be identified by the black Quicksilver T-shirt and military cargo pants he was wearing.
Samuel informed his parents that he was meeting friends at the movies and was dropped off by his father.
"After about 10 minutes of waiting, I was approached by an old man who had been standing nearby. He asked if my name was Samuel. I did not answer him because I was scared," he said.
The man told Samuel that he was Claudia and wanted to "get to know him better".
"He made a move for my hand and I just bolted," Samuel said, adding that he ran to the public restroom, locked himself in and called his parents.
"I broke down. I told this man such intimate and personal things about myself and my family. I am so ashamed," the young boy said.
MXit has enjoyed phenomenal growth since its launch in May 2005. But the dangers attached to this extremely easy-to-use and attractive service are all too real.
The service can become addictive to certain users and may become a hunting ground for perverse predators intent on luring young, naive children into their clutches.
Statistics released by Clockspeed Mobile, the company that developed MXit reveal that in 2006 45 percent of users fall in the 12-17 age group.
"For this reason", Alex Meiring, director of Clockspeed Mobile and creator of MXit, was reported as saying, "it is up to parents to communicate to their children the importance of using technology responsibly."
Meiring confirmed that to prevent nasty experiences from occurring, profanity filters have been put in place to block bad language and a report abuse function is operational on the website for users to report bad behaviour.
A list of safety tips have also been posted on the website and MXit portal.
MXit is also in the process of a joint venture with ChildLine, allowing for children to receive online counselling should they require it.
Child psychologist Terry Heide said it is imperative for parents to become more involved in their children's technological escapades.
"Often we have parents who are struggling to keep up with technological advances and choose to ignore their children's interest in the cellphone and MXit culture," Heide said.
He explained that most parents have no idea of the faceless dialogues that their children are engaging in, or what sort of personal information they are dispensing.
"The anonymity of chat rooms means that trust and intimacy can develop quickly, allowing predators to take advantage of this anonymity to build relationships with inexperienced, unsuspecting children," said Heide.
Heide advised parents not to prevent their children from using their cellphones or computers, because "we all know forbidden fruit tastes better".
Heide says parents should rather make themselves aware of which chat rooms their children visit and whom they speak to, as well as to monitor the conversation.
Children should be instructed never to divulge any personal information to other users, as well as to never leave the chat rooms to engage in "private" conversations with other users.
"Parents should always maintain a good, open relationship with their children, one in which the child is comfortable enough to approach their parents if anything unpleasant does occur," Heide said.
He said it is important that parents sit down with their children to discuss the dangers of chat rooms and the responsibility that comes with using such a service.
Another MXit user, Danielle, 16, had this to say: "MXit is great. It allows me to chat with my friends and family at minimal cost. But don't be fooled. There are some pervs out there who abuse the service, giving it a bad name.
"That's the downside of groundbreaking technology. There will always be someone out there who will find a way to screw it up."
* Not his real name
Well, I can definitely see that being traumatizing for a naive, bubbly kid to find out someone he confided in is not who he seems. At least he got a hard lesson about the real world. 
**** happens and just go on with your life
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