Warning to Parents: Kids are obsessed with TikTok- but so are Sex Predators

Sex predators are now using the TikTok app to blackmail children as young as eight into sending them vile pictures and videos.

TikTok Is A Hunting Ground For Child Sex Predators

There has been a massive increase in online child sex abuse, particularly during the lockdown, as kids remain stuck inside on their phones. In Australia alone, the Federal Police (AFP) have already arrested 161 disgusting predators and saved 134 children from abuse in the last nine months. Across Europe and America, it is thought many thousands have been caught and prosecuted. In certain countries, these activities invoke the death penalty- and many parents agree with it!

For Parents- How Predators Use TikTok

TikTok isn’t just about sharing fun videos, there is a  ‘back-door’- a format- where the vile ‘degenerates’ obtain their disgusting thrills. A feature of the app is that you can “duet” with another user by posting a video reaction to theirs, comment on another user’s videos, and message other users. It’s these features that predators are taking advantage of.

The paedophiles start off by pretending to be of similar age to the child they’re grooming, they also first ask for innocent photos from them. Not long after, they become more demanding asking for sexualised images and threatening to tell the children’s parents if they stop sending photos. Once the predators have the photos, they use them to manipulate and put fear into kids.

A worrying trend is that children are posting naked photos and videos of themselves because they think it is ‘normal’ after seeing it online, “its everywhere and easily obtainable” says a former investigator. “The main problem is that with some students still studying at home, they might not come under the same ‘scrutiny’ as they would if at school. It is vitally important that parents tell their children to come forward if they are being bullied.” he said.

Why are kids using Tik-Tok anyway?

According to media experts, Instagram and Snapchat are sooo 2019, they are not ‘in’. Today it’s all about TikTok, the Beijing-based streaming app that has upwards of 500 million active users- and kids just can’t seem to keep away.

A recent investigation found children as young as eight were being groomed on TikTok – and young users were being bombarded by explicit messages. Experts warn that the company’s casual attitude toward cyber safety poses the biggest threat of all- more than the predators themselves!

TikTok is used by kids mainly to create and share lip-syncing and dancing videos to popular music. But it also has a direct message feature and invites live streaming and public commenting. Its popularity has soared in recent months, fuelled partly by Instagram’s decision to conceal the number of “likes” posts attract. TikTok zoomed in to fill that gap for young users desperate to gauge their social standing with peers.

Tik-Tok- A playgrounds for predators

Wherever children go, paedophiles and predators follow, that’s the sad and awful truth of the online world we live in today. YouTube and Snapchat, and even games like Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft, have all – to some extent – been infiltrated by these vile adult users looking to groom, watch or otherwise interact with potential child victims. Many countries are now considering banning the app altogether, however, the reasons given are not the ones that are the subject of this article but more politically based.

We hope you enjoyed this article “Kids are obsessed with TikTok- so are Sex Predators”.

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