If your child is using Tiktok, one of the most popular video-sharing apps, they might not be safe as many have regarded it as a pedophile...
If your child is using Tiktok, one of the most popular video-sharing apps, they might not be safe as many have regarded it as a pedophile magnet. The Chinese application, which allows users to create and share short videos, came to limelight in early 2018 after achieving approximately 45.8 million users. Due to its video-only interface, unlike Facebook and Twitter, it gained popularity amongst children, especially those under the age of 16. The app, which has surpassed the popularity of Snapchat, requires a person to only be 13 years of age or above to sign up for an account. This exposes young and impressible kids to predators who can view their pictures and contact them unless the account is private.
Addressing the growing fears surrounding its privacy, Susan McLean, former Victorian police cyber safety specialist, said, "TikTok is not a safe app and there are many concerns, not the least bullying and grooming by predators." Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, she further warned, "Any app that allows communication can be used by predators." A recent investigation conducted by BBC News found that TikTok failed to remove the accounts of people sending sexual messages to teenagers and children.
It's alarming how much more access to children pedophiles have with social media. Nothing is being done about that but censorship for having the wrong thought? For sure.— Mars (@_Mars_F) 13 August 2019
Through this three month probe, the outlet was able to gather hundreds of sexual comments posted on videos uploaded by teens and kids. Although the company was successful in deleting most of these unsavory comments, they failed to suspend the accounts of users who posted them in the first place, thus going directly against TikTok's own rules of sexual content directed at children. "TikTok does not have the same safety sessions as some of the more well-known apps and routinely do not remove accounts that have been flagged as potentially a predator," explained McLean.
Tik Tok has an absolutely massive pedophile problem and a big YouTuber needs to make a video to address it.
21 people are talking about this
"Pedophiles like to watch kids sing and dance so they can take the videos and share them," she continued. "The data gathering is a huge concern and if the government is worried then it is not a place for kids." While TikTok's website explains how parents have the option to set their kid's profile to private, it also admits that "even with a private account, profile information – including profile photo, username, and bio – will be visible to all users." It also urged parents to 'counsel' their children not to disclose sensitive information like age, address, or phone number on the website.
No comments