WARNING: The content of this article might be disturbing to some readers.
HALIFAX – Police are warning that young people may be using risky, potentially dangerous apps their parents have never heard of before.
Cpl. Christian Hochhold, of the technological crime unit at RCMP H-Division, said police are concerned about who are on the other end of the apps.
Whisper is an app that lets you post anonymous messages, sometimes with great shock value.
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One message reads: “All I want from life is rough sex and cheese sticks.”
Giles Crouch, who runs the non-profit Envoy Centre for Digital Diplomacy and looks at digital and social media trends, said he worries about how young people might use Whisper.
“We’re starting to see what could be the next bullying site,” he said. “It’s anonymous. You can post anything you want to. People can post their secrets and say things they can’t say out loud to their friends or family.”
Down is an app for people who want random hook-ups. Instructions on the app include, “Get a date or get down with your friends and their friends!” and “Don’t worry, it’s a secret! No one knows you’re interested unless they choose you too!”
Omegle connects users with strangers to have conversations, but many people are using it to exchange more than just innocent messages.
Some of the messages encountered in researching this story included, “20 years old sexy girl from UK” and “Add me on Kik so we can exchange some pics.”
“You don’t know who you are talking to or … what you end up doing,” said Hochhold.
“They’re practically grooming young girls to engage in things they really have no business doing.”
Crouch said some of the apps are still in their infancy, but it’s only a matter of time before big problems arise.
“Other sites haven’t started to be used as sexually explicit, but they become that way,” he said. “With Omegle, it started off as just chat, but what we found is the predators are moving there because they know the youth are there.”
Hochhold said it’s important for parents to be proactive and know what their children are doing on their phone. It’s even more important for young people to know that nothing is temporary on the Internet.
“If your child wants to install an app, you review it and you as a parent needs to say yes or no,” he said.
“If you take a picture now and you send it out, there’s no delete button. Once it’s out there, it’s there forever.”
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