With Likee, similar to TikTok videos can be created and shared. The more than 2,000 filters and effects inspire young people in particular. But what else is behind the app and what are the risks?
Likee is a social media platform where short video clips can be easily created, shared, liked and commented. Uploaded videos are visible on your own profile and on public leaderboards. Users can send each other messages via Likee and give each other gifts. The gifts must be purchased beforehand. A livestream function allows people to film themselves and others to like or comment while they do so.
To register with Likee, you either have to link to an existing account, e.g. on Facebook, or enter your own cell phone number. The app thus has quick access to the person’s contacts and suggests them as potential friends. To use the app in all its functions, the camera and microphone have to be enabled. Likee additionally wants to access the location. This will display videos of people in the vicinity. A person’s location can also be seen when the associated profile is clicked.
On Likee, users can find entertaining, funny and inspiring videos on a wide range of topics. Teens can get creative with the app and make cool videos without needing much prior knowledge. Especially the Face–Filter of the app are fun for young users.
On Likee, users sometimes provide personal insights when they post videos or start livestreams. By sharing locations and sending messages, (children and) young people can fall victim to cybergrooming or cyberstalking. Other communication risks as well such as Hate Speech can play a role by commenting on videos sending messages. The uploaded videos are also not content controlled, so some of the content shown may not be suitable for children.
Officially, unrestricted access to the app is only approved for ages 16 and up. However, the age of the persons is not controlled.
The handling of user data by the provider must be viewed critically, since by accepting the terms and conditions users cede their rights to the videos created. The data is stored and collected in Singapore. Personal data such as hometown, location and search history may be shared with third parties, e.g. for advertising purposes. For the face filters, the app also saves the facial features of the people.
Using the fictional currency, so-called beans, additional effects can be unlocked or gifts can be sent to other people. Beans are available via in-app purchases.
The app is based on a reward system in which users climb up the rankings and get additional features unlocked if they are particularly active and receive many clicks and likes. This can encourage excessive use of the app.
The app comes from JOYY, a provider from Singapore. The provider does provide a parental control feature and a restricted mode for children under 16, but these features are difficult to find and activate. JOYY absolves itself from reviewing content shared through the app. A deletion of the data can be requested via the help and feedback function. However, the guarantee of complete deletion is not given.
There is always a risk of having unpleasant experiences online via apps that enable exchanges with other people. Therefore, your child should know about it and know strategies to deal with it or avoid certain risks. In our article “Legal notices of social media use” you will get the most important information about this.
Should your child Likee want to install, be sure to do it together. This way you can make sure that your child is giving the correct age. Children under 16 use the app in restricted mode. Direct messaging, in-app purchases, and live video sharing are thus no longer possible. Additionally, turn off the location sharing. Show your child the help section of the app and how they can report content and people there. Offer to be there to help your child. Also, educate your child about data protection and privacy and agree, for example, on what content may be shared and how much may be disclosed. Despite these safety precautions, the app is not safe for children. A suitable, child-friendly alternative is e.g. knipsclub.de
The Corona crisis led to the game Among Us experiencing a boom. It is not a game that you play alone for yourself, it only works in a group. The exchange via audio chat plays an important role. Communication in the group makes the game fun and exciting.
The gameplay of Among Us is familiar from party games like Werewolves or Zombies: a group of people has to defend themselves against one or more traitors and survive. At the beginning of a game round, each person is randomly assigned a certain role: In Among Us, this is either Crewmate or Impostor.
The crew of a spaceship must make repairs – in the form of small game-like tasks – to be able to fly again. The cheat or cheats among them (with ten players, there can be up to three) sabotage the crew’s efforts and kill individual crew members one by one. The crew can call meetings to find out who the Impostors are. Suspects can be voted out and must leave the spaceship rudely. Either the crew has won if they have unmasked the cheaters or completed all the tasks. Or the Impostor win if most of the crewmates were killed.
The operation of the game is simple. If you play via PC with mouse it is easier to move your avatar.
There are different maps (or spaceships) to play on. A game round lasts no more than half an hour. Each game can be customized by settings in the difficulty level by the so-called host.
Since sharing about possible impostors is an essential element, communication is done through a channel such as video chat.
A detailed insight into the game can be found in the video from the game guide NRW.
Among Us works on a simple and well-known game principle: good versus evil. This is especially popular with children because it is easy to understand. In addition, the lovingly colorful design and fantastic game world on a spaceship. The custom avatars are cute game characters that can be customized. The tasks to be fulfilled are like small games in the game and mostly easy to solve. But the whole game can only be won together. Thus, the game is a joint activity and therefore entertaining not only for children and teenagers.
The game is only available in English. The language of the game is not crucial to be able to play it. However, it is easier to know English to understand everything and find your way around the spaceship. Especially for younger school children this could be difficult.
The graphics are colorful and the action on a spaceship is unrealistic, but still other characters get killed. The graphic depiction of these murders can be frightening to younger children.
If you are an Impostor at the beginning of a game round, you must remain unsuspicious the entire time. For some players this is very exciting and therefore also exhausting. In the conversations during the game, the cheater is forced to lie. So he or she has to lie to their own friends. This can certainly lead to arguments in some groups if the game is taken too seriously.
It is also possible to play Among Us with strangers by searching “public games”. Here children can come into contact with strangers. Read more about the associated risks in our article on communication in online games.
Via in-app purchases, the player’s own character can be equipped with exclusive accessories for money.
Among Us comes from the American independent game company Innersloth. On their website you can find information about data protection and privacy – but only in English. When starting a private game, the server through which the game is played can be selected (Europe, Asia, North America).
Among Us can be played anonymously: It is not necessary to create a profile and no personal information such as full name or email address needs to be provided.
Children over the age of ten should be able to distinguish well between reality and a made-up story. In addition, they can already discuss with each other from this age. As a parent, you are in the best position to assess how your child behaves in groups and conflict situations. The game can promote social skills such as discussing in a playful way. Also, consider whether your child can handle the tension and excitement of such a game. It is best to test it out yourself in advance.
The English language can be both challenging and motivating for children to learn. Support your child by playing the first rounds together.
The possible in-app purchases to equip your own avatar are not game-changing. Discuss such things with your child. You can learn more about this in our article on in-app purchases. If your child is older and already plays Among Us, Handysektor will give him tips on how to play.
“Just no smartphones at school! Otherwise, the kids will just look at their screens during recess instead of playing and talking with each other.” Although people talk about social media, there is a fear that children and young people, but also adults, talk less and less directly to each other because they are busy with their smartphones all the time.
For many, it’s already normal to glance at the smartphone from time to time when meeting up with friends. At the same time, you too may have admonished your child not to spend so much time on the cell phone or game console instead of playing outside with friends in the nice weather.
However, the problem is not the device itself, but our handling of it! It offers so many possibilities that we occasionally forget our immediate surroundings when we have the smartphone in our hands. At the same time, we use social media to share and stay in touch with people who are not facing us at the moment. So media don’t actually do antisocial at all. We should just show a better way to use them to children and young people.
It can be observed that in youth groups, everyone seems to be paddling around on their smartphones. But if you look closely, you can see that they do talk to each other. It’s just unusual for us adults. Perhaps we should accept that young people today treat each other differently. After all, there were no smartphones in our childhood! Communication via messenger such as WhatsApp is also very important for young people, because they need social exchange for their development.
Another aspect is the social interaction on the net. When you don’t face each other when you “speak”, some things get lost or you just deal with each other differently. Learn more about this in our articles on online hate speech and communication with emojis. Cyberbullying can also be an unpleasant consequence of interacting with each other via social media.
We should pay better attention to what is important to us in our contact with each other. Maybe the girlfriend doesn’t mind if I look at my smartphone in between conversations with her. If it does, it should be addressed and rules agreed upon. This also applies to media use in the family. One possibility is the joint creation of a media usage contract that not only contains rules on times, but also on social interaction with regard to media.
If you, as a parent, want your child to leave their cell phone in their pocket when talking to you and others, you should set a good example.
Social behavior within the media should not be fundamentally different from that outside. What is desired in personal interaction can also be transferred to the network. It’s great that you can stay in touch with people so easily through social media, but it also takes a bit of effort. There should also be rules in the WhatsApp group so that communication does not degenerate into stress.
When children and young people network online via messenger or social platforms, they can learn to exchange, express and present themselves there. Digital communication is also a form of interaction.
Since companies are behind the various social media platforms and they want to make money from our communications, it’s important not to lose sight of your own privacy when using these apps.
