Children At Risk On New App

(KNSI) – Law enforcement says Likee is a video sharing platform similar to TikTok, but with very few controls. Benton County Sheriff Troy Heck says the app is supposed to only allow users 16 and older, but it is easy to get around the restriction. Young kids are potentially exposed to mature content.

Heck says, “There’s been criticism saying that adult content is plentiful on the app. It’s more likely that a child could come across that type of content that a parent might not want them to see.”

Heck says Likee’s parental filtering function has been criticized as ineffective by watchdog groups.

There are other concerns too. Law enforcement says private accounts are forbidden on Likee, which opens kids up to harassment. Predators could take advantage of the GPS feature, says Heck.

“When a user makes a post, they are unable to hide their location. So automatically their location is displayed on every post.”

Heck says parents need to have a talk with their kids about staying safe while using the internet and smartphone devices.

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