Predators use these 19 apps to lure minors. This is what parents need to know. (2024)

Paige Gross

By Paige Gross | for NJ.com

Last week, New Jersey's Attorney General Gurbir Grewalannounced the arrests of 24 men who were charged with attempting to lure minors into sex through digital communication, but were really chatting with undercover detectives.

Thereal suspects, though, are the apps they were using to target kids.

Most were using a social media app, a messaging website, or even the chat feature of a video game to reach out to the detectives who were posing as teens.

"Anything that gives strangers access to children potentially through the guise of a game has the potential to be dangerous to a child if it is misused,"Grewal said on The Today Show Tuesday.

Some of the apps and games have an age requirement, but parents should be wary that their kids that can get around them. Grewal suggested that if parents are able to, they should disable the chat function on games.

Here’s more information on the 19 apps that authorities say predators have used in attempted lurings, and they encourage parents to familiarize themselves with them:

kik: An app founded in 2009 intended to enable chats between Blackberry, Android and iPhone users. Now, the app is focused on helping teens stay connected, and has added features like chatting with a bot, using gifs and emojis or scrolling through news.

Users must be 13 to use the app, the company website says. "If Kik obtains knowledge that a user is under the age of 13, it's our policy to permanently deactivate their account and delete their personal information."

Skout: An app created to help people "make new connections and friends." The app says users must be 13 or older, and a message to kids: "If you're younger than 13,go outside and play."

The app's website also has a safety tips section, telling users that if they are going to meet someone in person, to do so in public, first tell a friend and to be sober.

Whisper's logo

Whisper: An app that allows users to post and share photos, videos and messages anonymously. It touts itself as an online community where people share "real thoughts, trade advice and get the inside scoop."

The app says you must be 17 to download.

Grindr:A social networking app aimed at gay and bisexual men, designed to meet other men in their area.

The app launched in 2009, and allows users to swipe through profiles and chat with others who are nearby. The app requires users to be 18 or older, but a user can enter any age they want when they sign up.

tinder: A social networking and dating app that allows users to swipe through profiles and chat once two users have "matched" with each other. Tinder is 18+, but users are able to enter a birth date that's older or younger than they actually are. A person's age listed on Facebook sets their age on Tinder, as well, if the apps are synced.

Until June 2016, though, a user only had to be 13 to sign up. The company changed its requirement after being heavily criticized by parents,parentinfo.com reported.

Musical.ly: The app was released four years ago and lets users create videos up to a minute in length and add a soundtrack. Users must be 13 or older to use, and can interact with each other through an "ask a question" feature and a "duets" feature. They can also send private messages.

In August 2018, the app was absorbed by another app, TikTok.

Live.ly: An add-on app to Musical.ly that also lets people stream live video.

Chat Avenue screenshot

Chat Avenue:Like it's name says, the chat room website created in 2000 hosts various themed rooms like, Gay Chat, Teen Chat, Singles Chat and more. A user can create an account or start chatting as a guest with just a username.

Wishbone: A survey app asking for users to choose between two various things. Users can make their own set of questions asking their friends to vote, and brands can get insight into a consumer's mind about products. There is also a private chat feature.

The app requires users to be at least 12 years old, and on the Apple store, it lists “Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content and Nudity” and “Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes” as reasons for the rating.

Chatroulette: Launched by a Russian teenager in 2009, the site randomly pairs users for webcam chatting.

It came under criticism very soon after launching, with experts telling Fox News in 2010 that the site was a "predators paradise." Online news sites have since reported that Chatroulette has put inseveral changes to filter out nudity and p*rnography, and in 2011 was banning 50,000 users daily.

Omegle screenshot

Omegle: A website that's motto is "talk to strangers!" It allows users to anonymously video or text chat with other people.

The website says users must be at least 13 with parent’s permission, but there is a section that’s 18+.

“Predators have been known to use Omegle, so please be careful,” it’s homepage says.

Paltalk:An app and website that was first developed 20 years ago and allows people to video group chat, enter chat rooms and create their own chat rooms. The platform requires users to be at least 13 years old with parent's permission.

Yubo: An app used to chat and videochat with people all over the world. It requires its users to be at least 13 years old, and people under 18 are only allowed to chat with other minors.

The apps' website provides a safety guide, warning kids about bullying and possible inappropriate contact from strangers.

It warns against giving away personal information and reaffirms that strangers could be viewing their live stream at any time.

Hot or Not: A website and app launched in 2000 that lets users upload photos and rate the attractiveness of others. Later, the site developed "Meet Me" which intends users to chat with strangers and encourages them to meet in real life if they feel a connection.

Hot or Not says its users must be 18 or older to make an account, but people signing up can enter a birth date that is not real.

DOWN:An app for people to flirt, chat and meet with others in their area.

“The secret way to get down with people nearby!” it touts.

The app requires users to be 17 to sign up.

tumblr's logo

Tumblr: A social media blogging site where users can customize their site's appearance to their liking. Founded in 2007, it now has millions of users globally. Tumblr says it's serious about its age requirement of 13, writing:

"You have to be the Minimum Age to use Tumblr. We're serious: it's a hard rule. "But I'm, like, almost old enough!" you plead. Nope, sorry. If you're not old enough, don't use Tumblr. Ask your parents for a Playstation 4 or try books."

Fortnite: A video game where themain objective is survival. The UK gave the game a PEGI 12 rating, meaning children under 12 are advised not to play. Some parents love the game, saying that playing with their kids have made their relationships stronger.

Concerns about predators using the game to connect with players comes from its chat feature, which can be turned off.

Minecraft screenshot

Minecraft: A 2011-born video game that focuses on exploring, crafting and building. The game can be played on many consoles, and requires a parent's permission to play if a child is under 13.

Parents ought to be wary of the chat function, which is how a British man groomed two young boys into trading explicit photos and messages in 2016. The man met the boys on Minecraft and began a virtual relationship with them via Skype.

Microsoft, Minecraft’s parent company, verifies parental consent by requiring a 10-cent fee on an adult’s credit card. This locks users under 13 from some features of the game like playing on Minecraft Realms, chatting in Scrolls, making purchases, or changing settings on the Mojang account site.

Discord:An application released this year and designed for gaming communities to let users text, send photos, videos and audio to each other. The app works on desktops and phones.

Paige Gross may be reached atpgross@njadvancemedia.com.Follow her on Twitter@By_paigegross