ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – A Tampa Bay area mother is warning other parents about the social media app Live.Me after her young child became a victim while using it.
“It’s scary, it’s absolutely terrifying,” she said.
The woman recently discovered her daughter, no more than 12 years old, had been on it for two weeks.
The app allows users to go live, share stories and exchange pictures for coins.
She found out that some users requested risqué photos from her daughter for the coins.
This mom says her daughter was lured.
“I found pictures of my child in her underwear taking a selfie and I went to question her about it and she explained to me why those pictures were there. And she told me about the app,” she said. “You don’t know if the picture that your child sends are being sent to pedophiles networks, human trafficking, you don’t know.”
She said the males ranged in age from 13 to 30 and were from all over the country and overseas. The app also revealed her child’s exact location, her home, possibly making her family a target for anyone.
Officer Chip Wells with the St. Petersburg Police Department teaches internet safety to students and parents.
“We’re moving closer and closer to where all of the apps are starting to have some type of GPS location,” he said.
He suggests frequently checking your child’s social media accounts.
“Parents need to know how to go into settings on every app they have and turn these things off,” said Officer Wells.
This mom believes some apps should come with an age restriction.
“It’s not safe, your child is not safe on these apps,” she said. “You think that it’s just for singing and little hobbies that your kid likes to do and they’re being found by scary people.”
The app’s description online does state that users must be at least 17-years-old to download the app due to “Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor, Infrequent/Mild Realistic Violence, Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References, and Frequent/Intense Mature/Suggestive Themes.”
