Davina’s ‘horrific’ shock
Horrified presenter Davina McCall has warned other parents about chat website Omegle, after its dangers suddenly arrived within her own four walls.
The fitness guru, 52, spoke out when her middle child, daughter Tilly, 16, was sent ‘inappropriate pictures’.
The mum-of-three – who also shares Holly, 18, and Chester, 13, with ex-hubby Matthew Robertson – described Omegle as ‘the most dangerous site I have ever seen’, on her Making The Cut podcast.
‘So, let me explain what it’s called, it’s Omegle and their whole strapline is “talk to strangers” – so red f***ing, excuse my language, flag right there,’ she said, angrily. ‘It’s like playing roulette. You sort of spin the wheel, so you press enter and your face is there on the camera.’
She went on: ‘This morning Tilly showed it to me. I sat down off-camera, she was on camera – out of the five people that she had, bearing in mind it’s 10 o’clock in the morning – two of them were just pictures of men’s groins!’
The presenter, currently back on TV with Long Lost Family: What Happened Next – added that it was extremely worrying for younger children, whose parents may not even know about its popularity.
‘If you are a parent and you have children under the age of 16, you need to be checking their computers that they are not going on Omegle, because this is the most dangerous site I have ever seen.’ Describing it as ‘ horrific’, Davina, who is currently dating hairdresser Michael Douglas, was confused as to why such a site – supposed to be for over-18s – was even legal. ‘Obviously, Tilly thinks it’s really funny, but if it was a 14-year-old girl I would be genuinely really, really worried.’
Insisting her 16-year-old daughter won’t be allowed anywhere near the site now, the incredulous presenter continued, ‘And warning someone that there are predators on there – it says a lot, right?
‘There’s got to be better ways of meeting people. I consider myself to be a really liberal person, but this was a step too far, even for me. ’
Even Thames Valley Police issued a warning about the site, advising parents to talk to their kids about the ‘dangers of giving out personal information such as their age, their location or full name to people that they don’t know.’
The statement continued: ‘Its tagline is “talk to strangers” connecting users to others [at] random. Users can then chat via text, audio or video.
‘Chatting to different people online can be fun, but as Omegle acknowledges, there is a strong risk of encountering sexual content.’
With so many children still not going to school due to Coronavirus, and stressedout parents letting them have extra screen-time, these horrors could be a click away…
‘This website was a step too far, even for me’