Likee is a social media app that has recently gained popularity among young people. It is often compared to other popular apps such as Snapchat and Instagram. More than 300 million users have registered on this platform, and the app is available in over 150 countries.
Like many social media apps, there are concerns about the safety of Likee for kids. The app has been accused of being a platform for cyberbullying and inappropriate content. In this review, we will look at Likee’s safety features and whether the app is suitable for kids.
What Is Likee?
Likee is owned by a Chinese company, Bigo Technology. The app was launched in 2017 and has been growing in popularity ever since.
The platform allows users to create short videos with special effects and filters. Users can also share their videos on other social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
It is available for free on both iOS and Android devices. The app does contain in-app purchases, but these are not necessary to use the app.
How old do you have to be to have Likee? The app has a rating of 17+ on the App Store. However, the primary audience for the app appears to be teens aged 12-16.
What Are The Risks Of Likee?
There are several risks associated with the Likee app. These include:
Inappropriate Content
Is Likee safe for kids? The app is popular among teens and teens for its short videos. But the app isn’t just innocent fun; many of the videos shared on the platform are sexually suggestive, violent, or contain swearing.
There’s also a lot of peer pressure to create and share risqué videos to gain popularity on the Likee app. This can be extremely damaging to young, impressionable users and still develop their sense of self-worth.
Cyberbullying
Since Likee allows users to remain anonymous, it provides a breeding ground for cyberbullying. Kids can say things on the app they would never do in real life.
This can lead to serious emotional distress, especially for younger children. Cyberbullying can cause feelings of isolation, anxiety, and depression. In extreme cases, it can even lead to suicidal thoughts or attempts.
Predators
Because the Likee app is so popular with young kids, it’s also a magnet for sexual predators. These predators can easily connect with kids (particularly, thanks to the nearby function) on the app and groom them for abuse.
Thousands of videos are made by young girls who may not be aware of the dangers posed by these predators.
In addition, the predators often comment on these Likee videos, leading to further interaction outside the app. In some cases, they may even send private messages to kids.
Geolocation features can also be a safety concern, allowing predators to track down kids. In the worst-case scenario, a predator may use this information to meet up with a child in real life.
Time Wasting
How to use Likee? It is a video-sharing social networking service that allows users to create and share short videos with special effects. The app is extremely popular, especially among young people, and it’s easy to see why.
The app is incredibly addictive and can easily consume hours of your time. How? It’s all about the principle of “variable reinforcement.” With Likee, you’re never quite sure when you’ll get a like, comment, or view on your video.
Also, the length of the videos is short – 15 seconds or less – so it’s easy to keep watching one after the other. And, of course, there’s always the pressure to check the app frequently to see if anyone has liked or commented on your Likee videos.
Should You Be Concerned About the Likee App?
Apart from the potential dangers of the Likee for kids, there are also some privacy and finical concerns that parents should be aware of.
Con #1 Lack of Privacy
When signing up for Likee, users must give the app access to their phone contacts, photos, and location. Unfortunately, the app can collect sensitive information about your child.
Can you change the privacy settings on the app?
Yes, it is possible to change the Likee privacy settings. However, the app’s default settings are not very private. For example, anyone can message your child and see their location. To change these settings, you need to go into the app’s “Privacy” section and adjust the settings manually.
Another privacy concern is the connection with your child’s social media accounts. For example, connecting their Likee app account with their Facebook or Instagram account allows the app to access all of their social media data. This includes things like their posts, photos, and messages.
Can my child provide false information when signing?
Yes. There is no age verification process when signing up for Likee. Kids can easily lie about their age and provide false information. Additionally, there is no way to verify if the photos and videos users post are actually of them. This could potentially lead to stranger danger situations.
Con #2 In-App Purchases
What is Likee app used for? It is a free app, but there are plenty of opportunities to spend money on the platform. For example, users can get points for sending “gifts” to other users. We mean “Diamonds” which cost real money. You can buy them in packages ranging from $0.99 for 39 to $99.99 for 420.
While it seems like unnecessary spending, Likee rating depends on your interactions within the app. The more you spend, the more your account is active, and your ranking becomes higher. Kids may be easily tempted to spend their allowance or beg parents for money to buy these gifts.
Hence, parents must be aware of the in-app Likee purchases and monitor their kids’ spending. You can do this by talking to your kids about responsible spending and setting up parental controls on their devices.
Pro #1 – Parental Control Function
Likee parental control can be found in the settings. With this feature, parents can control their kid’s accounts and set spending limits. This is a great way to ensure that your kids are not overspending on the app.
To access the parental control function, go to Settings > Parental Control. From there, you will be able to:
-Block live translation
-Disable Likee app purchases
-Block incoming and outgoing messages
-Disable notifications
-Make profile invisible for search
-Disable the subscription for profiles who are geographically close to your kid
However, it should be noted that the parental control function is not foolproof. There have been reports of kids bypassing parental controls by using a different device to access their accounts. Kids also know how to make your Likee account not private.
So, while parental controls are a good feature, they are not perfect.
Pro #02 – Fun and Engaging Content
What is Likee app? It is a social media app packed with fun and engaging content for kids. There are videos, games, and other activities that kids can enjoy. Hundreds of filters and effects can be applied to videos, and even AR filters can be used.
Your child can also create their videos and share them with the Likee appcommunity. This app has many creative possibilities, and kids will have much fun exploring them.
However, you should remember that kids often try to imitate what they see in videos. So, it’s essential to monitor the content your child is watching and ensure that it’s appropriate for their age. There are some videos on the platform that are not suitable for younger children.
For example, famous songs often have official music videos on Likee. However, these videos may contain suggestive lyrics or sexually suggestive scenes.
Conclusion
So, what is Likee app, and is it safe? Despite its parental control features, we would not recommend this app for children under 17. The main reason is that there is too much-unmoderated content on the app, including sexually explicit and violent videos.
In addition, the app’s chat function could also be used by predators to groom and exploit children. Therefore, if you do allow your child to use it, we recommend being vigilant about monitoring their activity on the app.
Please share this review with other parents to help keep kids safe online! Thank you for reading.
