With over 100+ million users around the world the Likee app is gaining popularity in the UK and Ireland. On first review of this app it seems very similar to the talk-to-stranger’s website Omegle. The Likee app has a bunch of other features which include GPS location, in-app purchasing and a gifting feature.
The Likee app is free to download and is rated as 12+ in the app store but we note Likee has covered itself in the terms of service – which no-one will read – with ‘users must be 16 or older’. When signing up to the app there is no age verification in place.
This in itself like other platforms presents a concern. For example, a user who is under 13 can register as an Over 18 user without any problem.
Even more worryingly, the same can be done for an opportunistic adult user who wants to create an account on the platform as a 13-year-old to meet other 13 yr olds.
It also appears that by tapping on ‘Profile’ a user can also change their age!!!! Users can also change their Likee ID once every 365 days!.
Users also do not have the ability to make an account private meaning that any video which they upload to the platform can be seen by anyone across the platform.
On the Likee app users have the ability to watch live feeds from other users on the platform as well as go live themselves. Users who are under 18 years of age are not permitted to ‘go live’ but as we’ve said above, it wont take children long to work out you can broadcast live with an Over 18 account.
When a user joins a live broadcast they can comment on the live stream as well as having the ability to communicate with others in a private chatroom. There is also a separate category in the messages section labelled “greetings from a stranger” where you can read messages from a complete stranger that are sent to you.
It’s important for parents and caregivers to note that much of the video content on this app including the live content is incredibly suggestive. Another major concern for parents and caregivers with these types of apps is impersonation. Setting up a fake profile on Likee is easy. It is very possible that Likee could be used as a way for individuals to groom and abuse children and young people and for peers to harm each other.
The Likee privacy policy is another area of concern that parents and caregivers need to be aware of. The app itself collects a lot of information which the user consents to provide when they create an account and sign up. Here’s what you consent to sharing:
Likee does offer some parental controls, similar to TikTok in that it’s password protected. Likee parental controls help with private messaging, commenting, and live broadcasts and again is similar to TikTok (and we know how these work). A content filter is also available to filter inappropriate content however while testing with a child account on Likee we did not see any real difference in the suggestive content which was being displayed across the app.
We feel it’s very important for parents and caregivers to be aware of this app and the associated risks. A good way to prevent this app from being downloaded onto your child’s device is to set up the parental controls on devices and turn on the ‘ask to buy’.
It’s difficult to find the positives here. The Likee app contains bucket loads of content most parents wouldn’t want their child to see and the chances of your child coming into contact with a stranger or predatory adult or peer on this platform is extremely high.
Stay safe online
Wayne
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