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4 Police are concerned that paedophiles can use the app to contact children Credit: Getty Images What is Skout?Skout describes itself as the world's largest app for meeting new people.It uses your phone's GPS to put you in touch with people who are nearby, letting you chat with strangers, send virtual gifts and share photos - provided you're over 18.When you're near a fellow user, you can check out their profile before you decide whether or not to get in touch.But Skout also offers other ways to meet new people. Why are some parents worried?Although Skout is designed as an innocent way to meet new people, some teenagers and adults have been using the app to hook up.Users aged between 13 and 17 will automatically be placed in a teen section of the app, which bans private photo sharing and prevents chatting with people less than 100 miles away.But there is no way the app can verify users' real ages.This means that adults can enter the teenage section, and kids can stumble into the adult section just by signing up with a different age. 4 The app isn't able to verify users' ages, so kids and adults can enter each other's online spaces Credit: Skout Are paedophiles using Skout?Police have warned parents that.The flirting app has also been used to encourage youngsters to engage in sexual acts.In 2012, following three US rape cases which saw paedophiles use the app to target children, including a 12-year-old girl.Now children are allowed back on the GPS-based app, parents are concerned that similar cases could happen in the UK.
4 A police spokesperson warned parents to be vigilant whenever their kids are chatting online Credit: Skout What did the police say?A spokesman for Operation Zephyr, the Southwest Regional Organised Crime Unit, about the app.They said: 'Skout gives you the ability to connect with people no matter where you are.' ©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. 'The Sun', 'Sun', 'Sun Online' are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's in accordance with our. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our site. View our online Press Pack.
SKOUT connects the dots when it comes to cybersecurity. Layer in fully-managed security monitoring (SOC-as-a-Service), endpoint protection, and email protection and save on the hidden costs of configuration and management. Do Fun Things We know meeting people can be tough, so we’ve made it our mission to bring people together from across the world to explore and embark on adventures together.
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