CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — The Citrus County Sheriff's Office is warning parents of specific apps they should be aware of when it comes to their teens.
In light of the agency's Operation Lucky Strike, a list was made of the top 10 apps with a higher likelihood of abuse on children.
"You probably hear that these apps can be dangerous, and brush it off, but just last week during our operation we arrested 11 child predators who were utilizing these same apps to solicit minors," the sheriff's office said in a news release. "These applications continue to be virtual interstates for online predators to gain access to our youth."
The agency says predators know how easy it is to get online and start chatting, so parents are advised to monitor access as much as possible.
Here's a list of the top 10 apps to watch for:
- Snapchat lets users take and share photos & videos. App settings will also allow people to see your location.
- TikTok lets users create and share short videos. There are very few privacy controls available, so it is not hard for your kids to discover explicit content.
- Omegle is an online chat that allows users to socialize with strangers worldwide without needing to register an account. It randomly pairs users with one-on-one, anonymous chat sessions.
- Kik allows users to send an array of multimedia messages through a Wi-Fi connection and engage in live video chats.
- Roblox is an online game with a chat feature that includes profanity, sexual content, drugs, and more. The age range of gamers varies widely.
- Discord is an instant messaging app where users have the ability to chat via voice/video calls & text messages privately.
- Instagram is a social media platform that hosts a sheer amount of inappropriate content that users can access without having an account.
- Whisper is an anonymous social network that lets users share secrets with strangers. The secrets are created by typing words onto images.
- WhatsApp is a messaging app that allows texts, video calls, photo sharing, and voicemails with users worldwide. It is a cross-platform IP service owned by Facebook.
- Vault App is a password-protected app that hides private files such as videos and photos behind a functioning calculator app.
"Parents, remind your children that they should only chat with those online that they truly know, and especially never give out personal information online like addresses, phone numbers, or personal photos," Sheriff Mike Prendergast said in a statement. "I recommend that you sit down with your child and talk to them about the potential dangers of the internet, social media, and online games."
The sheriff's office asks parents to pay attention to the potentially harmful apps and to talk to their children about what they can do to stay safe online.
Anyone with questions about internet crimes or if you want to report an internet crime, contact the Citrus County Sheriff's Office at 352-249-2790.
