Two Platforms Exploiting Children, Two Warnings All Parents Must Heed!
 

KIDS FLOCKING TO DANGEROUS PLATFORMS PUTTING THEM AT GREAT RISK OF SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

Popular Video Chat Site tagline reads: "Talk to strangers" 

Sexually Explicit Content Appears Within Minutes!

The wildly popular Omegle video chat site instantly and randomly connects users to strangers all over the world. It's been called a "video roulette" as strangers anonymously connect. An investigative reporter recently stated "...you have no idea who they are, where they are, or how dangerous they could be." Sexually explicit acts are reported to be strewn across the screen within minutes of being on the site.

Omegle has exploded in popularity during the pandemic and has become increasingly popular with young people, thanks to viral videos about it by A-list influencers on TikTok and YouTube. 

Above: Omegle just recently removed from its home page the following warning: "Predators have been known to use Omegle," which also notes users must be 18+ or 13+ with parental permission. "Talk to strangers" is still prominently featured, however.

A BBC article documented the story of Michael, who believes he was groomed into the site as a 14-year-old. Within a few hours of being paired with strangers, he said he was persuaded to show his genitals to a woman. He believes at least one of his intimate video calls was recorded and used to trick others into sexual activity. 

A Mountain of RED FLAGS with Omegle:

• There is no age verification system in place
• There is no way to contact the company to report abuse on the site
• There is no place to fill in user information (name, e-mail address, verification phone)
• A BBC report states some users on the site appear to be as young as 7 or 8
• The report also found apparent prepubescent boys engaging in sex acts.
• Predators capture and distribute self-generated abuse from Omegle 

Bottom Line: Do not allow your children to use this site. 

"I don't wanna talk about the types of pictures I post on there and I know it's not appropriate for kids my age to be doing this, but it's an easy way to make money."

(Daily Mail, May 27, 2021)

A haven for online pornographic material, the social platform OnlyFans allows content creators to share photos and videos with subscribers for a monthly fee. Its membership has also soared during the pandemic to more than 120M users worldwide (from 20M pre-pandemic). Reports showed children as young as 12 were using the adult-only site to contact other adult content creators and asking to meet up, despite the site's terms of service requiring users to be at least 18 years old. Further, police say they've received reports of girls as young as 13 who say they have used the site to share explicit content of themselves.

News reports continue to highlight significant concerns of sex trafficking, child sexual exploitation, sextortion and non-consensually shared pornography on the platform.

Bottom Line: Make sure your child stays far away from OnlyFans. The risks far outweigh any potential financial reward.

We have a BIG BATTLE to fight against BIG TECH PLATFORMS who are left UNMONITORED and often UNREGULATED. We're frankly tired of them getting a FREE PASS when it comes to failing to implement effective safeguards to protect children on the internet. Please, FUND THE FIGHT today with your most generous gift and help EIE STAND UP for our children's safety in the digital world!  Be sure to visit our safety resources at InternetSafety101.org to help better protect your children online. For more info on social media apps, click here.

The Team at Enough Is Enough^®, 

Your Internet Safety Experts

Enough.org

InternetSafety101.org