BILLION
BILLION DOLLAR MOBILE APP INDUSTRY PUMPING OUT NEW
TITLES -- EVERYDAY --
WE KNOW IT CAN BE
REALLY HARD FOR
PARENTS TO KEEP UP.
AND THERE ARE SOME
VERY REAL RISKS FOR
KIDS.
OUR EMILY LAMPA
TELLS US ALL ABOUT
THAT -- IN THIS 2 ON
YOUR SIDE ORIGINAL.
SOUND OF TEXTING
"THE LATEST RESEARCH SHOWS ABOUT 70
PERCENT OF TEENS --
EITHER OWN -- OR HAVE
REGULAR ACCESS TO
SMARTPHONES."
"45 PERCENT OWN A
LAPTOP"
"AND MORE THAN HALF
OF TWEENS OWN A
TABLET"
"A THIRD OF THOSE
YOUNG PEOPLE
ADMITTEDLY USE
MULTIPLE SOCIAL MEDIA
MESSAGING APPS. AND
THEY'RE DESIGNED TO
BE FUN...GIVING KIDS
AND ADULTS NEW WAYS
TO EXPRESS
THEMSELVES"
"BUT THE WAY THEY'RE
BEING USED -- BY CHILD
PREDATORS,
CYBERBULLIES, AND
IDENTITY THIEVES -- IS
FAR FROM FUN. IT CAN
BE DOWNRIGHT SCARY.
THAT'S WHY WE
COLLABORATED WITH
NON-PROFIT TECH
EDUCATION AGENCY
"COMMON SENSE MEDIA"
-- TO COME UP WITH A
LIST OF THE MOST
POPULAR APPS FOR
TEENS AND TWEENS
RIGHT NOW -- AND
EXPLAIN WHAT PARENTS
NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
EACH OF THEM.
STARTING WITH
MUSICAL.LY..."
TECH SOUND EFFECT
THE LIP-SYNCING APP
ALLOWS YOU TO
RECORD AND SHARE
VIDEOS.
MUSIC PLAYING
IN THE APP STORES --
IT'S LISTED AS
APPROPRIATE FOR KIDS
AGE 12 AND OLDER.
BUT C-S-M SAYS --
USERS SHOULD BE AT
LEAST 16.
"I'M LOOKING AT ALL THE
FEATURES AND USING
THE CRITERIA THAT
WE'VE COME UP WITH
BASED AROUND CHILD
DEVELOPMENT AND
THAT'S HOW WE
DETERMINE OUR AGES."
EVEN IF PRIVACY
SETTINGS PREVENT
OTHER PEOPLE FROM
SEEING YOUR KIDS'
VIDEOS -- THEY STILL
HAVE ACCESS TO ALL
THE OTHER PUBLIC
CONTENT.
SOME OF THAT CAN BE
PRETTY MATURE...
EXPLICIT LYRICS
SUGGESTIVE DANCING
PORNOGRAPHY
THERE IS EVEN SELF-
HARM -- AND IMAGES
THAT PROMOTE
ANOREXIA.
TECH SOUND EFFECT
AND IF USERS
DOWNLOAD THE
COMPANION APP --
LIVE.LY -- YOUR KIDS
CAN "LIVE BROADCAST"
TO STRANGERS.
THIS CAN EXPOSE THEM
TO HARRASSMENT AND
CYBERBULLYING.
EVEN POSITIVE
FEEDBACK CAN
PROBLEMATIC.
"THEY FEEL A STRONG
DESIRE TO GET
ATTENTION WHICH MAY
PUSH THEM INTO DOING
THINGS TO GET
ATTENTION THAT THEY
WOULDN'T NORMALLY
DO."
TECH SOUND EFFECT
MONKEY IS A
MESSAGING APP THAT
ALLOWS YOUR KIDS TO
CONNECT WITH
STRANGERS.
DEVELOPERS
STRANGERS. DEVELOPERS RECOMMEND IT FOR
THOSE 18 AND OLDER.
BUT THERE'S NOTHING
TO STOP KIDS AND
TEENS FROM LYING
ABOUT THEIR AGE.
THE APP CYCLES
THROUGH A RANDOM
LIST OF PEOPLE YOU
CAN TALK TO.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF
USERS WERE FOUND
TO BE UNDER 17.
THE APP ASKS TO
ACCESS YOUR
LOCATION.
C-S-M SAYS GEO-
LOCATERS SHOULD
ALWAYS BE A RED FLAG
FOR PARENTS.
TECH SOUND EFFECT
YUBO.
PREVIOUSLY CALLED
"YELLOW" -- WAS
INITIALLY ADVERTIZED
AS "TINDER FOR
TEENS."
SWIPE RIGHT -- TO FIND
NEW SNAPCHAT
FRIENDS.
APP STORES -- LIST IT
AS 12-PLUS.
BUT C-S-M RATES IT 18
AND OVER.
LIKE MONKEY -- IT
CONNECTS YOUR KIDS
WITH STRANGERS.
AND ALLOWS THEM TO
BROWSE PUBLIC
PROFILES ON
SNAPCHAT AND
INSTAGRAM.
TECH SOUND EFFECT
SNAP-CHAT IS SUPER
POPULAR WITH YOUNG
PEOPLE RIGHT NOW.
PARTLY BECAUSE OF
IT'S FUN FILTERS - AND
AUGMENTED REALITY
FEATURES.
ALSO -- THE SHORT
"SNAPS" DISAPPEAR
AFTER BEING VIEWED.
HOWEVER -- IMAGES
CAN BE CAPTURED AND
SAVED -- WHICH MANY
YOUNG USERS MAY NOT
KNOW.
"THE TRICKY THING FOR
PARENTS IS THAT IT
DOES FEEL MYSTERIOUS
BECAUSE THERE'S NO
FEED YOU CAN CHECK."
AND THEN THERE'S
SOMETHING CALLED
SNAP-STREAKS...
IT'S A CONTINUOUS
VOLLEY OF SNAPS
BETWEEN USERS -- AND
FOR SOME TEENS AND
TWEENS THERE'S A
REAL PRESSURE TO
KEEP THEM GOING.
"IF IT EVER STARTS TO
FEEL LIKE A
COMPULSION, LIKE A
'HAVE-TO,' THEN THAT'S
A RED-FLAG...FOR KIDS
AND ADULTS. AND
MAYBE IT'S TIME TO TAKE
A BREAK."
DEVELOPERS SAY - 12-
PLUS
C-S-M - 16-PLUS
TECH SOUND EFFECT
INSTAGRAM -- ALSO
HUGELY POPULAR WITH
YOUNG PEOPLE.
IT'S RATED 12-PLUS.
BUT C-S-M BELIEVES
THIS CAN BE
APPROPRIATE FOR 15
YEAR-OLDS.
HOWEVER THEY SAY
MAKING AN ACCOUNT
PRIVATE IS IMPORTANT
-- BECAUSE COMMENTS
FROM STRANGERS --
CAN GET PRETTY
NASTY.
BUT LIKE MUSICAL.Y -- A
PRIVATE ACCOUNT
DOESN'T PROTECT
AGAINST THE MATURE
PUBLIC CONTENT.
NOT TO MENTION -- A
LOT OF BRANDING.
"THERE'S A LOT OF
INSIDIOUS KIND OF
MARKETING WHERE
CELEBRITIES WILL BE
PROMOTING PRODUCTS.
THEIR OWN PRODUCTS
OR OTHER PEOPLE'S
PRODUCTS."
IF YOU'RE MONITORING
YOUR KID'S ACCOUNT --
KNOW IT'S PRETTY
COMMON FOR THEM TO
HAVE MORE THAN ONE.
THE ONE YOU SEE --
WHICH THEY MAY CALL
"RINSTA" -- IS THEIR
REAL INSTAGRAM
ACCOUNT.
AND "FINSTA" - THEIR
FAKE INSTAGRAM
ACCOUNT -- ONLY THEIR
FRIENDS SEE.
TECH SOUND EFFECT
AND FINALLY -- THERE'S
KIK.
IT'S SIMILAR TO
SNAPCHAT -- BUT EVEN
HARDER FOR PARENTS
TO MONITOR.
ALL THE
CONVERSATIONS
HAPPEN IN
CHATROOMS.
THERE IS MATURE
CONTENT.
AND THERE HAVE BEEN
REPORTS OF CHILD
PREDATORS USING THE
APP.
"NICHOLS TOLD
INVESTIGATORS HE GOT
LINKS TO CHILD PORN
THROUGH KIK."
"POSTED ON SOCIAL
MEDIA APP - KIK"
"KIK. KIK IS THE DEVIL'S
SPAWN."
HERE IN WESTERN NEW
YORK -- 25-YEAR-OLD
JOSEPH LOMBARDO OF
LANCASTER WAS
CONVICTED LAST YEAR
FOR SEXTORTION --
GETTING YOUNG GIRLS
TO SEND HIM EXPLICIT
PHOTOS -- AND
THREATENING TO POST
THEM ONLINE UNLESS
THEY MET HIM FOR SEX.
HE USED A NUMBER OF
SOCIAL MEDIA SITES --
ONE OF THEM BEING
KIK.
"IF YOU'RE WONDERING
WHY APP STORES DON'T
JUST TAKE DOWN
PROBLEMATIC SITES --
THE SHORT ANSWER IS
"THEY DO" -- BUT IT CAN
TAKE TIME.
AND THE WAY COMMON
SENSE MEDIA EXPLAINS
IT -- IT TAKES LONG
ENOUGH THAT DAMAGE
IS DEFINITELY DONE --
BEFORE THEY'RE
REMOVED.
EMILY LAMPA.
CHANNEL 2 NEWS."
A LOT OF SCARY
INFORMATION -- BUT EXPERTS SAY THE LAST
THING YOU WANT TO
DO IS RIP AWAY YOUR
KID'S PHONE -- AND
START DELETING APPS.
WE'RE TOLD THIS
INFORMATION SHOULD
LEAD TO OPEN
CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT ONLINE
ACTIVITY.
DEFINITELY SOMETHING
THAT FAMILIES NEED TO
HAVE.
BECAUSE ALL OF THIS
IS VERY SERIOUS.
COMING UP TONIGHT AT
11 - WE'LL INTRODUCE
YOU TO A MOM WHO
KNOWS ALL TOO WELL
THE DANGERS -- AND IS
SHARING HER STORY
TO HELP OTHER
FAMILIES.
FAMILIES.