What parents need to know about LiveMe
LiveMe is a live streaming app popular with teenagers. In the description, LiveMe indicates that the purpose of the application is to “Find yourself and show your talents.” And that’s exactly what users can do. Using LiveMe, users can create broadcasts and grow their fan base and new friends. They may meet with other broadcasters. They can even meet, play games, and send virtual gifts to other LiveMe users.
WHAT IS LIVEME?
Live.Me is a live social media platform. It is available as an app on iTunes and the Google Play Store. But users can also create a user account through the app’s official website.
WHAT AGE IS REQUIRED FOR LIVEME?
Under their terms, LiveMe is only available to 18s and over. In fact, it’s pretty clear from their terms and conditions that users under 18 are not allowed.
However, they do have a Parent Guide that seems to suggest that teens under 18 are allowed to open an account with parental permission.
WHAT DO I DO IF MY TEEN UNDER 17 OPEN A LIVEME ACCOUNT WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?
Contact the Liveme security team to report the account and ask them to remove it.
WHAT TYPE OF CONTENT CAN USERS SEE ON LIVEME?
Both the Google Play Store and iTunes have rated Live.Me 17+ for the following content:
Infrequent/light profanity or crude humor
Infrequent/average use or references to alcohol, tobacco, or drugs
Rare/Violent
Frequent/intense mature/suggestive themes
I found all this while checking out Liveme and didn’t have to dig much. Most of it was easily accessible. The bulk of the content I’ve seen is people broadcasting from their bedroom or living room, singing on the radio, or waiting for people to join the broadcast. In other words, they had nothing to share. They hung out waiting for other people to join their stream and hang out with them.
CAN YOU BLOCK OR REPORT UNSUITABLE CONTENT AND USERS?
When broadcasting, you can block a user. You can also give some permissions to block people to your account while streaming. But, as a normal observer, you cannot block a user. Also, there is no easy way to report a user for inappropriate content. To report this, you need to take a screenshot and send it by email to Safety@liveme.com.
IS IN-APP PURCHASE AVAILABLE?
Yes
WHY TEEN WANT TO DOWNLOAD LIVEME?
LiveMe is a place where teens can connect with other teens. Facebook and Instagram are now the places where their parents hang out. Thus, teenagers are looking for a place where they can live stream with children of their own age.
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DISCUSSION WITH TEENAGERS ABOUT LIVEME?
Content! There is very little content that can benefit your day. Most of the hosts don’t seem to be broadcasting really planned content. So, LiveMe can be a big waste of your time.
There are media that teach, inspire and uplift. Then there is the media, which is nothing more than nonsensical nonsense. LiveMe falls into the category of pointless nonsense. And it’s likely that your teen will come across content that contains profanity, crude humor, and lots of sex videos.
SHOULD I LET A TEENAGER DOWNLOAD LIVEME?
I try not to give parents a hard yes or no when it comes to apps. Applications are tools. And I understand that every family is different. However, I will make these final thoughts.
LiveMe is a live broadcasting platform. We are familiar with the term live streaming. Apps like Facebook and Instagram have live streaming capabilities. Live broadcasts on Liveme are almost the same. In fact, the technology is almost the same. But live, the presenters are actively trying to connect with those who watch them.
Live streaming means less content, more reach and connection with viewers. This can be a very tricky and slippery slope for teenagers. I believe this is why many live streaming platforms are missing more solid, valuable content.
We must teach teenagers how to use technology wisely. Select sources that will help them more effectively perform their tasks. Or ones that help them gather information or offer solid content. I urge teens to stay away from apps and websites that have no clear purpose or value in their lives. It’s just too easy to get sucked in and realize that you’ve wasted hours of precious time that you can never get back.