Watch those Apps: Simi Valley Police warn of “Whisper” and your children

The Simi Valley Police Department would like to inform the community of the possible problems and or dangers of social media with underage viewers. There are several social media applications that parents should be aware of. One of these is an application known as “Whisper.” These applications could get your child in trouble and they should be on a parent’s radar.

Whisper users can anonymously post pictures and chat with other “whisperers.” But authorities caution those users often hide behind fake pictures and information. This makes it easier for predators to contact underage teens and kids that are close by.

Unfortunately, there are predators out there that are also opportunists. They will attempt to take advantage of trustworthy individuals when they meet on these sites. Often times, predators convince unknowing victims to meet at locations and take advantage of them. Accusations of sexual assaults, robbery, kidnapping are some of the crimes committed where the suspect admitted to using social media to communicate with the victim.

There are numerous cell phone apps which parents are not aware of. They need to pay attention to what their kids are doing on the phones and what apps they’re downloading. There are predators out there and they’re attempting to convince underage teen targets or victims to meet with them.

Many apps offer Help Centers or even guides for parents – like “Snapchat” – a phone application that lets users exchange pictures that supposedly automatically delete themselves. One misnomer about this site is that photos that are sent from one phone to another can only be viewed for a limited time, and therefore have the allure of anonymity. However, when an individual sends a compromising photo of themself, to another “Snap Chat” user, they may be under the false belief that the receiver can only view it for a limited time of 5-10 seconds. However, if the receiver of that photo chooses, they may take a “screen shot” while they are viewing the photo and now the photo can be captured in the receiver’s phone. This photo can then be viewed again or sent to another user. Often times the original sender has no idea this has occurred and has not authorized the photo to be shared.

To promote safe use of social media:

• Use a family account to download from app stores. Only the parents should have the password and that way downloads can only be done with the parental permission.
• Limit the amount of exposure and actively monitor the teen’s use of these types of sites.
• If you have questions regarding a social media application, simply conduct a Google search of the app’s name, which will provide you everything you need to know.

For additional information regarding this subject matter contact Sergeant Bob Brill at (805) 583-6950.