A MUM has revealed her horror after her nine-year-old daughter sent topless pictures to a paedo on video app Likee after he threatened to "take her away".
The youngster has been left "traumatised" after she was tricked into sharing the explicit snaps with a user posing as a teenage boy.
Her mum, who we are not naming, said the creep told her daughter he would "find her and take her away from mummy" if she didn't send the photos.
She has now hit out at the app, which allows users to post videos using "magic" filters with other 200million subscribers worldwide, after her daughter was chillingly groomed for five months.
The 49-year-old, from the North West, told The Sun Online: "My daughter used to have the most glorious smile but is just isn't there anymore and her eyes look distant and vacant.
"She's clearly still affected by what happened and is having lots of meltdowns in school.
"She is also having scary dreams and is struggling to sleep because she's frightened this man is coming to find her."
'IT WAS TRAUMATISING FOR HER'
The horror unfolded in May when the tearful youngster told her mum she needed to speak to her about something "upsetting".
But she refused to hold her hand and spent three hours crying into a pillow before she managed to reveal the harrowing truth.
The mum said: "She was clearly struggling to get it out and I had to sit with my back to her because she couldn't face me.
"She told me she had made friends with someone called James on the app who over time had asked her to send inappropriate photos of herself.
"He said if she didn't, he knew where she lived and he would find her and take her away from me.
"It was very traumatising for her and I was trying to reassure her she had done nothing wrong and had been tricked but it was horrible to listen to."
The shocked mum immediately phoned police, who are currently trying to retrieve the messages from the account after the girl deleted them.
The wait has piled more agony on the mum as she is not sure how far the messages went and whether her daughter sent anymore photos.
She even logged on to the app as her daughter and was stunned to receive a barrage of messages from paedos asking her to play "dares" and begging for X-rated photos.
The mum is sharing her daughter's experience to raise awareness about paedophiles using apps to groom kids.
What is Likee?
THE app originates in Singapore and is an original video creation and sharing platform.
Users can choose from thousands of stickers and Music Magic filters to create their own videos to post to friends and other users in the hope of going viral.
The most popular videos on the app feature young girls and search terms that throw up results include 'twerk' and 'nudes'.
You can like and comment on anyone’s video – even if you don't follow them.
There is no way to make an account private and anyone can view your videos – although you can switch off comments.
Anyone can also private message automatically unless the settings are changed.
She said the girl had begged her to get the app as all of her friends were using it and she didn't want to be "left out".
Both her and her husband had researched it and agreed as it appeared to be a lot of youngsters innocently posting videos of themselves dancing to Little Mix.
But they had no idea the direct messaging service for a breeding ground for paedophiles – with one button able to turn an account from private to public.
She has now launched a petition to ban private messaging functions in apps aimed at under 13s.
She said: "I'm a good mum, I consider myself to be verging on neurotic because I'm so protective.
"There's no way I would've risked it if I thought it would be so easy for an adult to contact her.
"I want to highlight the issue to parents who, like me previously, think something like this won't happen to their own child."
Top tips for parents from the UK Safer Internet Centre
British online safety charity Childnet has some tips for parents to help young people stay safe online.
1. Stay engaged and have regular conversations
- Show an interest in the games your children are playing. This could be through having a conversation about what they like to play or could be through watching them play the game. You could even have a go at playing the games yourself! If children know you have an interest in the game, they may feel more comfortable talking to you about it or coming to you for help if they need it.
2. Help them understand the importance of personal information
- Check that your child understands:
– the importance of keeping their personal information safe
– that the should speak to an adult straight away if the chat goes from being about the game to meeting up offline, personal information or sending images.
3. Set rules around spending money in games
Have a conversation with your child to make sure they realise that is possible to spend real money on the game. Make promises that work for your family; perhaps your child will have to ask you for permission before they make an in-game purchase.
4. Make use of the safety features available
- Block and report:
Make sure your child knows how to find and use the report and block functions. - Safety settings:
Set up the parental controls that are right for your family. - Settings for under 13s:
There are additional safety features for under-13s , so it’s worth checking your child’s account is registered with the correct age. Players under the age of 13 have a <13 symbol next to their username on the game at all times, however this is not displayed to other players.
5. Encourage them to tell you about concerns
- Remind your child that they should come to you if they ever see something inappropriate, mean comments or if anything worries them within the game.
Read their full advice here.
Merseyside Police have now launched an investigation involving "an allegation of sexual communications involving a child and a social media app".
DI Jackie Guinness said “Offenders think that the web will offer them anonymity to commit these types of offences against children, but we are continuing to work with partners to ensure more and more people are aware of the risks of child sexual exploitation – be that through online grooming or the distribution and viewing of sexual images of children.
APPS TARGETING CHILDREN
“It is important that we all become more aware of the possible risks posed by the web and social media and how to report any suspicious activity.
"I think it’s very important for anyone who has any concerns about the online habits of adults and children, that they know where to go to get help, support and to report such behaviour.
“As a force we are committed to the protection and wider safeguarding of children and we believe we all have a duty of care to protect all young people from harm."
It comes after The Scottish Sun revealed how teacher was left sickened when her daughter was asked to send a topless picture to "verify her age" after playing a children's dress up doll app.
Nicola McGarry, 41, said her daughter was taken on Gacha Life, a Japanese anime app for children to create their own characters, style their outfits and go on fantasy adventures.
And a Sun Online investigation went inside teen dating site Snog FM where perverts target underage girls to groom with sick messages.
Our reporter was inundated with messages after posing as a 15-year-old girl.
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