eSAFETY GUIDE
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Emerald Chat

18+
Minimum age according to Emerald Chat
18+ Minimum age according to Emerald Chat

What is Emerald Chat?

Emerald Chat is an online chat service that describes itself as ‘the new Omegle alternative’. The service pairs two random users together in a text and/or video chat. It also has a chat room function that connects you with a group of random users. By providing your interests, you may be matched with a stranger who has similar interests.

Emerald Chat says it uses a combination of human and AI moderation. While Emerald Chat states that nudity and sexually explicit behaviour is not allowed, many users have reported being matched with people who are nude or performing sexual acts. There may also be sexually explicit language – including sexually violent language – in text chats with individuals or groups.

Emerald Chat keeps a history of all the users you have chatted with. To interact with these users again, you need to send them a friend request. You need to be friends with someone to view most of the information on their profile, such as their interests and photos. Profiles also show whether a user is online. You do not need to be friends with someone to see their online status.

There is a ‘karma’ system that allows you to award positive or negative karma points to other users, depending on how you feel the interaction went. This score is visible on a user’s profile and is intended to be a ‘reputational score’ of the user. A negative rating may lead to a temporary ‘karma ban’ from the platform. Users can also buy karma using real money.

You can sign in with your Google account, Facebook account, Apple account, or email. If you sign up with an email address, you may be asked to confirm your email before you can continue. You can pay money to skip this step, which will give you additional ‘karma’. You can also sign up with a temporary account, but most features will not be available, including being matched with other users.

You can use Emerald Chat for free or with a paid subscription. There are ‘Emerald gold’ and ‘Emerald Premium’ subscriptions that offer additional features. You can also pay separately to buy karma or send virtual gifts to other users.

Emerald Chat has a blog with articles about topics such as online chatting, relationships, social struggles, and friendships. For example, article titles include ‘Why am I so quiet and awkward?’ and ‘Why do my friends hate me?’ These articles often end by encouraging readers to use Emerald Chat to meet and talk to other people.

Emerald Chat states that users must be 18 or older, and they are asked to confirm this when they join. However, the service does not appear to have any way of verifying whether the age the user provides is accurate.

Website: www.emeraldchat.com
App: Android app

How do people use Emerald Chat?

Learn more about the benefits and risks associated with how people use anonymous messaging and video chat services like Emerald Chat.

Emerald Chat is used for: anonymous communication, messaging/online chat, online relationships, screen capture and video calling.

How can you report abuse or violations?

How can you protect your personal information and security?

This link is provided by Emerald Chat:

Key safety links

These links are provided by Emerald Chat:

Related eSafety links

Find other resources to help keep you safe online:

Other eSafety Guides:

About this Guide

This guide is provided by the eSafety Commissioner to help people stay safe online and better understand digital platforms.

Social media changes

From 10 December 2025, certain social media platforms are not allowed to let Australian children under 16 create or keep an account.

Find out more at eSafety’s social media age restrictions hub.

About The eSafety Guide

The eSafety Guide helps you find out how to protect your personal information and report harmful content on common social media, games, apps and sites. Entries are for information only and are not reviews, endorsements or assessments against any legislative definition by eSafety. Before choosing to use any online service or platform it’s best to:

  • do your own research to understand the risks and benefits
  • check the age rating and requirements
  • consider privacy
  • check the permissions and other settings
  • check the in-app reporting options.

If you are a parent or carer who is deciding whether a child should be allowed to use an online service or platform, you can also:

  • consider your child's readiness for the types of content and experiences they might encounter
  • help them understand what to do if they need help
  • provide ongoing support and monitoring, for example through regular check-ins with your child
  • agree to some rules about use of each service or platform.

To find out more, you can read the App checklist for parents, as well as information about parental controls in social media, games and apps and mental wellbeing resources for families.