Live me is one of the fastest growing social media apps in the world. The app is designed to allow users to easily live stream videos of themselves from their phone or computer device.
How it works: Live Me has recently taken a stand on implementing ways to keep our children safe. They have increased the user age to 18. It was once 14. They have also hired 1,000 moderators to oversee content and are now working closely with law enforcement in an effort to keep predators off their feeds. If you are not familiar with Live Me, once the app is opened, users see a screen filled with pictures of different app users. Once you click on one of the users, you are taken directly to a live feed of the user. Many users are simply talking or doing day to day things. However, in the past there were users that were doing provocative things, so Live Me set out to make some changes that would raise the bar on industry standards. We now need parents to engage and take responsibility for what their kids are doing online. We know many youth are lying about their age and still trying to get on sites that are not age appropriate. Live Me is now working on some new efforts to address this challenge. Moving forward, it is truly going to take social media companies and parents sharing the responsibility in keeping our kids safe.
The Live Me app is now designed with adults in mind as their target audience. A Live Me user is live, anybody can go and view what the user is doing. The viewer has the option of showing a feed of themselves or hiding. Viewers can also share the live feed while watching. This can be shared on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media accounts. You can also chat with different users. This would not be appropriate for children, because this would quickly become an online predator’s dream. In the past we had cases in which children were solicited online during live.me streams. The app gives viewers the capability of recording the live streams. With the recording, the stream can be duplicated over and over. The streamer has no control over what they have put online. One parent even made the comment, “My 10 year old daughter’s number one follower is a grown adult male stranger.” That should be extremely concerning as a parent. . Do not allow your children to use apps or visit sites that are not designed for children and/or youth.
We are grateful that Live Me actually reached out to our organization and has had numerous conversations surrounding the safety of children. They have also implemented a Safety & Trust Board to help them continue to monitor online safety. Currently, they are one of the industry leaders in implementing effective online change that keeps our kids safe, so we hope many others will follow their lead.
It is very important to educate your children about how to be safe online. Most social media networks today have you sign a terms and conditions, stating you are 18 or above, but there are so many ways around that. What can seem like innocent fun to your children, can be turned into something not so innocent quickly.