Parents warned about video chat app Monkey
PARENTS are being warned to remain vigilant over a popular teen app created by Sydney whiz-kid Ben Pasternak that encourages strangers to video chat with each other.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
PARENTS are being warned to remain vigilant over a popular teen app that encourages strangers to video chat with each other.
Monkey allows complete strangers to hook-up on 15-second video chats and, despite it telling users not to record or post offensive material, a quick search of the internet throws up many examples of humiliating and sexually charged clips originating from the app.
Its logo is a cute emoji monkey, which child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said led parents to think the app is cute and cuddly when the reality could be far different. “Now more than ever, parents need to be vigilant about what is on their child’s phone. These are virtual playgrounds for children which (potentially) become a vehicle for paedophiles to prey on their victims,” he said.
Miranda Live: Parents sending wrong message with phone use
Teens have a problem with internet porn addiction
Suicide issue linked to unchecked device use growth
Monkey has proved a sensation since it was launched in 2016, with a total of three million downloads worldwide and 300,000 active users.
It is the brainchild of Sydney whiz-kid turned New Yorker Ben Pasternak — who went to the exclusive Reddam House school in the eastern suburbs — and US teen Isaiah Turner, who themselves met on the net. Both have since sold their interests in the app.
The live video chat aims “to fill the loneliness void in teenagers” by connecting them. Monkey’s name is based on the three wise monkeys, and has been touted as a “safe space” on the internet, thanks to its strict code of conduct. Originally developed as an app for ages 12 years and up, the age rating was increased to 17, with “mild sexual content and nudity” outlined in its categories.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant cautioned against teens using video chat features: “Apps that allow young people to connect with complete strangers via live video chat can present a number of serious risks, especially for young people who are yet to fully develop the judgment and critical thinking needed to deal with such risks.”.
And YouTube is filled with videos of teens using the app to sexual harass teen girls, bully other users and display lewd material within the 15-second clip. There is no suggestion anyone in the below videos did anything illegal.
One user was so shocked they reported the app because of its inappropriate content. “I love Monkey, it’s a great app to meet people my age … that’s starting to change since way older adults are coming on the app, making it not as fun and very dangerous and sexual,” they said.
Monkey was embedded with technology to help detect inappropriate content, along with tools to allow users to report the behaviour.
If any explicit content is detected, the user is banned automatically but some people are slipping through the cracks with the accuracy of ages unable to be validated.
Monkey was contacted for comment but had not done so by the time of going to press.