Warning about KIK Messenger

[neptune blue]

I thought I would post this warning to all parents on this forum that have kids ( especially young children) on kik messenger

A very close friend has just discovered that his 10 year old daughter was coerced into posting naked pictures of her self by other users , most probably paedophiles

I have spent this afternoon doing some research and kik is probably one of the wost sites kids can use for social networking as there are virtually no controls
The net is full of warnings and case studies about Kik

My friends daughter didn't know how to block messages and was bullied into doing what she did thinking that if she gave them what they wanted they would stop sending messages
Needless to say the family is devastated to have these pictures in the public domain

The matter is going to be referred to the police however as this is a cyber crime I don't know if they will ever catch those responsible

I closed our kids accounts down today

I urge all of you that have kids using social media to check to see what they are up to especially if they are on kik

This kind of social networking has provided these sick scumbags a safe haven to pray on our children

Please be vigilant

[OffRoadFalcon]

Wow...

That is surprising to me. I use kik messenger to communicate with friends and family sometimes (mostly the ones who don't use an Apple device, I have an iPod.), but I don't use it that much.

If it had been me in that situation, I know I wouldn't have dared to show anybody naked pictures of ANYONE, though I could very easily on many, especially those with live chats. But of course some kids don't think that way.
Unfortunately it's becoming increasingly difficult for parents to monitor what their kids are doing, especially with smaller devices like smartphones and ipods etc, where its harder to get a good look.

A good way to protect yourself is to learn how to use them responsibly, and most of these social networks provide a way to block unwanted attention.

[SSD-85]

This is precisely why children should NEVER have internet access in the first place unless under strict supervision.

There is NO reason what-so-ever for a child to be using the internet for anything other than educational purposes. In which case, the parent should be spending time with their child.

When my son is old enough he will be not using the internet without me looking over his shoulder. Period.

[neptune blue]

Originally Posted by Eagleheart

This is precisely why children should NEVER have internet access in the first place unless under strict supervision.

There is NO reason what-so-ever for a child to be using the internet for anything other than educational purposes. In which case, the parent should be spending time with their child.

When my son is old enough he will be not using the internet without me looking over his shoulder. Period.

I agree with your post
The problem is portable devices
I have teenagers and you can't be with them 24/7
The best I can do is keep talking to them and make them try to understand the dangers and that they can talk to me about anything at any time .

[jmac]

Need a proxy and filter at home. That way anything connecting through your home network is filtered. Ten year olds shouldn't have phones either..

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[SSD-85]

Its simple. Why do they need portable devices? My son will have call-barring on his phone & his computer will have no web access without my password. Learn to adapt to modern tech like our kids & you wont have problems.

We all were teenagers once, and we know what we got up to. Thats the beauty of experience, is our ability as adults to be one step ahead.

And we also know to expect our teen children to not talk to us about diddly-squat.

Anyone who doesnt has a defeatist attitude. Teens are still perfectly capable of having a regular social life without the need for Social Media. Give into them & expect them to learn the hard way like this poor 10yr old girl.

[xisled]

Originally Posted by jmac86

Need a proxy and filter at home. That way anything connecting through your home network is filtered. Ten year olds shouldn't have phones either..

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

The problem is when kids hit the teens, they can get a phone with credit and net access and do not need to use the home network.

[neptune blue]

iPods are also a problem

[Yellow_Festiva]

Tell a kid to not smoke and they will try it to see why not, explain to a kid the dangers involved and they may have a better understanding to the damage caused.

No different to the internet. "I will bar my child from the net", "My child will not need a phone cause we didn't need one when I was a teenager"... Things change... Technology is everywhere. Your kids will get to a stage where a lot of homework is done online, research, slideshows, projects, you tube - How long do you think it will be before we are using Face book groups as part of our education? It is a fact of life that they will find themselves behind a screen, for whatever reason..

So, what will you do when they are at the local library? Their friend’s house? At Mc Donald’s using the free Wifi (and you know they ALL know about that don't you?). When they start wanting to go to the cinema / into town with their group of friends. You know it will happen, and you know you will not be able to hover over their shoulder forever. Will you give them a 50c coin to call you from a payphone??

Educate your kids to the dangers of the net, phone usage etc. Be open with them to the bad things that can happen. Make sure you are approachable at all times. This stuff happens all to often under the noses of parents because the children live in fear of getting punished because it will be seen as their fault. If these sorts of dangers are spoken about openly at the start they will not be as hesitant to fess up when there is a problem.

Did you do all that your parents told you not to do when growing up?? Of course not! What difference does it make now to before?

A mobile phone is the cheapest luxury we will ever buy. Imagine a device that allows a person to make and receive calls at any time that can be bought for as little as $35. What parent wouldn't want their child to have a phone when they start going out?

Do you think, back when you were a teenager if your own parents had that option they wouldn't have taken it? Of course they would have!

Anyway KIK, MSN, Face book, Skype etc etc etc is NOT the issue; it's the people who use these mediums that are the real enemy (where have we heard that before?).

I don't have kids, I just teach this very age group and we talk about this every term. I have had to call parents on a few occasions after hearing certain stories after my little chat. And you know what, if I didn't start the talk, I probably would never have known... After that, I also learnt that one of my students got in a similar situation and the first thing they did was tell their parents, and then me the following day... Education on this is key, I assure you.

When we want to educate about speeding we show car wrecks and broken bodies, when we want to educate on smoking we watch legs full of gangrene and blackened lungs, when we want to educate on drinking we watch young people losing control and getting into violent fights or waking up in a strangers bed...

Why? Because saying 'Don't do it' just doesn't cut it.

If you want to see where cyber bullying can lead to, watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOHXGNx-E7E

Don't take what I have said as disrespect directed at anyone specific. I know and have seen first hand where this stuff can lead to if not addressed.

[cs123]

Nicely said Yellow Festiva.

Eagleheart, you've got no chance of policing your kids the way you plan to. They'll be using the internet for their homework in high school. My daughter uses online tutoring and skyping with her study pals. Unless you are going to sit with your kid every night while they do their homework you will fail miserably.

[Franco Cozzo]

WTF is KIK messenger?

Am I getting old or something because I've never heard of it.

I thought Facebook was the beez kneez for stalking and harassing people.

Back in my day it was MSN Messenger *waves fist*.

EDIT:

http://www.doobybrain.com/2010/11/08...kik-messenger/

Hmm.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

WTF is KIK messenger?

Am I getting old or something because I've never heard of it.

I thought Facebook was the beez kneez for stalking and harassing people.

Back in my day it was MSN Messenger *waves fist*.

EDIT:

http://www.doobybrain.com/2010/11/08...kik-messenger/

Hmm.

Hah!! You young whipper snapper! Back in my day we carved a message on a stick and got Og to carry it to the next cave!!

[xisled]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

WTF is KIK messenger?

Am I getting old or something because I've never heard of it.

I thought Facebook was the beez kneez for stalking and harassing people.

Back in my day it was MSN Messenger *waves fist*.

EDIT:

http://www.doobybrain.com/2010/11/08...kik-messenger/

Hmm.

Im with you Damo. No idea what KIK messenger is. MSN use to be it.

[trick_xd]

Well so far my kids have not come across this KIK

I have gone through with my kids about the dangers of internett and some times on tv something will come up and now the kids relate to it .. All I know is I have 2 x 11 yo girls & 2 x 9 yo boys and then 1 x 5yo boy and they ALL use the internet for school and the girls for Facebook ... As for Facebook we read there profiles and only we accept the kids friend requests after we know who they are ... Maybe still not safe but better then nothing

[XR6_661]

Keep an eye out for 'Snap Messenger' too...Or is it 'SnapChat'

Basically it's an instant messenger but you talk just with pics. Most kids these days have iPhones or phones that can take photos....and I think if you are online ANYONE can send a photo to you.

Seems a bit dodgier than a text based messenger.

[pundit]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

WTF is KIK messenger?

Am I getting old or something because I've never heard of it.

I thought Facebook was the beez kneez for stalking and harassing people.

Back in my day it was MSN Messenger *waves fist*.

EDIT:

http://www.doobybrain.com/2010/11/08...kik-messenger/

Hmm.

I still use MSN messenger.. CBF with the crap on facesook.

[MDS69]

Originally Posted by Eagleheart

Its simple. Why do they need portable devices? My son will have call-barring on his phone & his computer will have no web access without my password. Learn to adapt to modern tech like our kids & you wont have problems.

.

Originally Posted by xisled

The problem is when kids hit the teens, they can get a phone with credit and net access and do not need to use the home network.

Originally Posted by neptune blue

iPods are also a problem

As neptune blue is saying you do not require an i-phone for KIK messenger. Just a standard i-pod touch will do it, the ones that play music, games, videos etc.

[ford71V8]

No 10 year old needs access to these social media sites.

I still dont understand why people need facebook to share photos and info when you can do this electronically with personal email addresses.

Its terrible that this young girl has got that far into such a mess. Crazy.

[xisled]

Originally Posted by trick_xd

Well so far my kids have not come across this KIK

I have gone through with my kids about the dangers of internett and some times on tv something will come up and now the kids relate to it .. All I know is I have 2 x 11 yo girls & 2 x 9 yo boys and then 1 x 5yo boy and they ALL use the internet for school and the girls for Facebook ... As for Facebook we read there profiles and only we accept the kids friend requests after we know who they are ... Maybe still not safe but better then nothing

Education and being open with them is the best way to be. You can not hide these things from kids as everyone talks about it at shcool. I think what you are doing is the best thing to do.

[neptune blue]

The federal police are now investigating
According to the AFP these sickos are experts and getting vulnerable children to do exactly what they want
It happens more often than reported and its global

Kik who are based in Canada have not responded to any emails from the family who are requesting the pictures be removed from the server. they can't be contacted by phone as no number is listed on their website which is also common

What scum bags these IT messaging providers are, they dont give a dam about any thing but profits and protecting the identity of paedophiles so as to shun their moral, ethical and legal obligations

They are the scourge of the 21st century

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by pundit

I still use MSN messenger.. CBF with the crap on facesook.

Me too, but it gets lonely talking to myself after a while, seems like I'm the only one out of my friends who is ever logged onto MSN.

[b0son]

Originally Posted by neptune blue

Kik who are based in Canada have not responded to any emails from the family who are requesting the pictures be removed from the server. they can't be contacted by phone as no number is listed on their website which is also common

https://www.cybertip.ca/app/en/report

[neptune blue]

Originally Posted by b0son

https://www.cybertip.ca/app/en/report

thanks for this link
I will pass it on

[Spudz27]

Dug this up to warn about omegel. Some of the younger guys at tafe were asking if I knew about it, which I didn't and told me to check it out. It is a site where you connect via web cam to random people. I counted 10 guys masturbating in the first 13 searches. Even had a naked chick ask me my age and after I said 30, she proceeded to begin a sex show until I exited......maybe.......nah I did.

Anyway just make sure your children are not going on this also. You do not have to have a cam to use the site.

Being 30 I played a game, I went on to a pron site, DL a cam vid to my phone and held the video up to my webcam, whilst my mrs typed so these guys did not catch on. Needless to say after the first OH Yeah baby, I pulled the phone away and screamed down the cam. Juvenile yes, but I can say that most of these tools quickly put their johnsons away and were very embarrassed. Both myself and my mrs were just dumfounded at todays society.

Just keep your kids off the site.

[TC200six]

Being pressured to flash is what led to Amanda Todd's demise. There was a story getting around the internet last year of this 15 year old who committed suicide after a screenshot of her flashing got circulated around her school.

As for kids using chat rooms, I seriously believe no under age child should use them. Not for talking to strangers at least.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Amanda Todd is the link I posted at the end of my post further up. Such a sad waste of a life...

[TC200six]

Oops, didn't see the link above. but that was a very unfortunate wast of a life.

Oh and the advice of "only talk to friends" can be very flawed as well.

I just remembered a situation that happened last year involving people I know. There is an autistic girl who I'd met through one of my school peers, she called me one morning asking me what should she do because (so-and-so) was pressuring her and her friend to send him nude pictures of themselves to him.

He was being very persistent about it too. He was texting them every few minutes saying "Hurry up" and "send it before 10:00", etc. I told the girl to threaten to call the police if he doesn't stop and it must have worked.

So these sickos can be the ones you least suspect. Especially the guy in question. He carries a Bible around with him and I hear he also goes to Hillsong. I would never have imagined he could be capable of such a thing by preying on vulnerable autistic girls.