Explicit messages on app leaves mother, daughter traumatized
PHOENIX (KSAZ) - A warning for parents whose children use the popular app "musical.ly": a Peoria woman and her nine-year-old daughter were traumatized, after the young girl received some explicit messages, through the app, from a stranger.
"I was just very appalled, because they were very sexually explicit," said the woman, who didn't want to be identified.
The app "musical.ly" is meant to allow kids to upload videos of them lip-syncing to songs. The woman's daughter, however, had a different experience.
"I just noticed that there was a person she was texting," said the woman.
The profile on the app appeared to be of a young boy, but the messages made it clear that that user, along with the woman's daughter, weren't talking about kid's stuff.
"Asking her for pictures of herself, if she can travel," said the woman.
The messages carried over into another app that only uses Wi-Fi. The woman's daughter did not have an actual iPhone device, only an iPod.
According to Dan Konzen, Chairman of the College of Information and Systems Technology at the University of Phoenix, it is important for parents to know what kind of information their kids are putting out there.
"It might be cool to have thousands of Facebook friends on your social media account," said Konzen. "But if you don't know all those people, it might not be a good idea."
The woman, who described herself as tech savvy, said she has talked with her daughter about talking to strangers, especially online.
Police are investigating the incident.