Grooming warning over children’s pop video app
A POPULAR phone app that lets children film their own music videos has been branded dangerous by parents who fear that it puts them at risk of being groomed by paedophiles.
Musical.ly allows users to create 15-second video clips to accompany their favourite songs and share them online. Most children use the free app to film themselves lip-synching to chart hits.
But there are growing fears that the craze is putting children at risk of being sexually exploited, and some parents say their children have been sent ‘inappropriate’ messages by strangers. Youngsters have even reportedly been asked for naked pictures by anonymous users.
The app has been downloaded more than 60million times worldwide. But parents say that despite making sure their children’s accounts are set to private – which means that only friends and approved people can view their videos – strangers regularly make requests to ‘follow’ the youngsters.
One parent claimed her ten-yearold daughter had been contacted by a stranger who called her ‘cutie’. The concerned mother wrote on the Mumsnet online forum: ‘The message began, “Hi cutie, I think you look amazing…” I instantly deleted the app.’
On the Common Sense Media website, another parent warned that the Musical.ly app had proved ‘dangerous’ for their 12-year-old son. They wrote: ‘TEN “people” messaged him asking for him to “follow”… Obvious attempts to lure him to who knows what. These were professionals, without a doubt. Beware!’
Parents have also complained that the song choices on Musical.ly often contain offensive lyrics and encourage suggestive dance moves – and that the app allows children to search for music videos that can contain unsuitably raunchy images. Last night, the NSPCC described the reports as ‘very worrying’ and called on Musical.ly to take action to keep children safe.’
The ‘karaoke’ nature of the site has made it hugely attractive to younger children, and while Musical.ly is advertised as being appropriate for those aged 13 and over, there is no restriction on who can download the app.
Although it allows users to set their account to private, many users make their clips public in order to gain more followers.
Two police forces in the UK are known to have investigated claims that inappropriate messages have been sent to children on the app.
One inquiry, by West Midlands Police, involved a message sent to an eight-year-old. Officers traced it to a server in the US which prevented the identification of the user. Another investigation, by Merseyside Police, is ongoing.
Musical.ly said last night that the safety of its users was a priority, and content flagged as inappropriate was removed within 15 minutes.
It added: ‘We also encourage parents to monitor their child’s account, report inappropriate behaviour, and have an open dialogue with children about responsible and safe behaviours for all online activity.’