Law enforcement officers are warning parents about the LiveMe livestreaming application as it allows predators direct access to children, at home, in their bedrooms.
Earlier this week, I was searching for a new story for the blog. It was a long afternoon of reading news stories and not finding any that grabbed my attention.
Then after a while I found this story , from News4Jax, posted by my friend Sergeant Marc Marty, of the Montebello Police Department. Marc is a leader in online safety and the fight against child trafficking. He teaches courses to law enforcement and government officials via LawEnforcement.Social and is active with the Erase Child Trafficking organization.
It hit me, we generally write stories involving expert witnesses, but we only very occasionally write a straight informational, “public service announcement” post. This topic felt like the right topic at the right time.
I’ve been fairly involved with live video since 2015. In fact, live video is how I met Marc. We’ve attended several live video and social media conferences and I watched him speak about online safety and child trafficking at the last mutually attended conference. I’m happy to see he’s still fighting the good fight!
The livestreaming story shared by Marc, is very disconcerting. The app in question, LiveMe, has some 20 million active users. Before this article, I can’t recall hearing about LiveMe. My guess is the app targets minors, so it is not somewhere I wish to spend my personal or professional time. Unfortunately, it is somewhere sexual predators will be quite active.
I imagine law enforcement will also be active on this platform. Unfortunately, with limited resources, dozens of social media platforms, and jurisdictional limitations, police will only be able to monitor a small percentage of the streams and may be limited in their ability to take action. That leaves monitoring to parents, non-profit organizations, and other concerned citizens.
As the News4Jax article describes, several parents were not aware of what their children were doing on this app, in their own bedroom. Others didn’t even know the app existed (admittedly, keeping up with every new platform is difficult).
All of this got me wondering, what viewing behavior is indicative of a predator? Other than monitoring their children and their behaviors, what do parents need to know about online predators? How should they guide their children? What behavior indicates “grooming”? Which children are most at risk?
I reached out to Marc for some greater illumination on the subject.
Sergeant Marc Marty
As I’ve done in the past, I have asked several questions and Marc has provided some spectacular answers on the subject.
Nick: As an officer specializing in social media, what are some steps parents and others can take to prevent predatory use of apps like LiveMe?
Sgt. Marty: Parents first and foremost must develop an open line of communications with their children. Communication is key!! They need to develop a partnership with their children. If parents are “allowing” their child to have a cellphone, they need to explain to their child that it will be monitored and that there may be monitoring software on the phone. Let’s face it, most children cannot purchase a phone, so in essence the phone belongs to the parents, not the child. Be open and honest with your children. Develop a contract with your child that explains and stipulates the rules and guidelines the child must follow in order to have a cellphone. This is important because when the child breaks that contract and their phone gets taken away or they are disciplined, they have a clear understanding why they are being disciplined. This helps develop responsibility.
Nick: Assuming parents are monitoring the livestreaming use of their children, are there any telltale signs that viewers may be predators?
Sgt. Marty: It’s really difficult to determine who is actually watching/following your child online unless you know them. Here’s a question I pose to parents. “Do you let your child have random friends that you know nothing about? Do you let your child talk to just anyone at the mall as they are walking through it?” If the answer is “NO,” then why would you allow a random stranger online follow your child? Parents should know who is following their child online.
Nick: Are there particular signs that a viewer may be “grooming” a potential victim?
Sgt. Marty: If a viewer asks a child to take off their clothes, or to send a random nude photo of them, those are pretty good signs that that person is up to no good. However, predators will often seek weaknesses in children and exploit them. They are looking for the child who wants to run away, or who is upset with their parents, or who doesn’t have parents. They will look for any type of “in” they can find. They will often simply befriend them and develop that digital friendship online.
Nick: Can you share with our readers some basic online safety recommendations?
Sgt. Marty: Children should follow their parents rules at all times. Understand that anything you post online will be there forever. Never send personal pictures to anyone online. Never give out any personal information, such as address, phone number, or other identifying information. Don’t use your name as a screen name online, make up a name. Cyberbullying is huge, don’t respond to any threatening emails, messages posts or texts online. Screen shot the messages, block the individual and immediately notify Facebook, Instagram, or whatever platform you are on, and it will usually be removed right away. You may also need to notify your local police as well. Children should never meet anyone in person unless parents are present and/or notified. Always tell parents, teachers, or other trusted adults of any messages that are unwanted or threatening.
Nick: Is there anything you feel I should have asked that I didn’t ask? Potentially items you feel the public needs to know?
Sgt. Marty: Parents need to understand that social media is the gateway to child trafficking. They need to be able to communicate and educate their children!! They should follow Erase Child Trafficking and any other organization out there that is fighting against the exploitation of children.
Conclusion:
So there you have it, our first or maybe second, true public service post. The topic is hugely important. These are areas where Marc and I have been active for several years and we have seen some of the efforts by strangers to bully and prey on children.
You and your children should enjoy technology. Just do so wisely. Be smart and be safe!