A federal warning has been issued for apps that allow adults to track kids.
Security awareness expert Robert Siciliano of Safer.me tells Boston 25 News that parents need to pay close attention to their children's digital lives.
"So if you have an adult in his 30s or 40s, he can search for a 12 or 13-year-old girl," said Siciliano. "The issue is not a technology problem. This fundamentally is a parenting problem."
On Monday, the Federal Trade Commission issued a parental advisory warning the three dating apps, FastMeet, Meet24, and Meet4U, allow adults to find and communicate with children.
"These specific apps have location-based information that would allow anyone a predator to find where your kid is at the time and they can also search based on their age," said Siciliano.
Parents tell us they are alarmed by the news, "As parents, I think we should make sure they're not visiting specific sites because there are a lot of sick people out there."
Apple and Google have pulled the apps from their stores.
Siciliano recommends putting restrictions in place on an iPhone. To do that, open 'Settings' and go to 'Screen Time.' Scroll to 'Content and Privacy Restrictions.' Turn that on and you can set a passcode.
>> Previous: 3 of the best parental control apps for smartphones
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
