A Cake Not Fit For Kids

A warning from police that this particular cake isn’t great for kids. An app gaining popularity called Cake – Live Strean video Chat, has police in Barrie and beyond concerned about the overt sexual nature of the app, and how it is being used by kids.

While it is basically a video chat app like many other, it does advertise itself as one to meet singles. Our newsroom took the time to install this app, and were met with dozens of pictures of scantily-clad women. The app clearly specifies in its Google Play store description that Cake allows users to “discover, flirt and connect instantly to video chat with ladies and guys tonight.”

The Barrie Police Service also downloaded the app and say, in 12 hours’ time, it received four sexually-themed messages from other users, including one explicit video from a male user. Barrie Police are offering the following tips to protect your children:

“If your child is under the age of 13, they should NOT be on Cake. The highly sexual nature of the app also raises questions about why youth need to use it at all. Have a conversation with your teen about choosing a more appropriate app for live streaming with their friends. 

Talk to your teen about the risks of live streaming, including that anyone watching can capture a screenshot or video  without them knowing.

Encourage your teen to talk to you about weird or uncomfortable moments they encounter. Emphasize that it is never too late to come to you for help, even if they have made a mistake.

If they are going to use the app, review the security/privacy settings with your teen and take these steps:

• Select “Discover” in the bottom right corner of the screen and then the settings icon in the top right corner.
• For the “Profile Visible” setting, select “Hidden” so your teen is not visible to all users.
• For the “Private Call” setting, select “Not Accept” so your teen does not get calls from unknown users.

Review your teen’s “Friends,” “Followers,” and “Following” lists. Ask your teen if they know each person offline and have them delete the rest.”