Nearly a quarter (24%) of 10 to 16 year-olds regret, or have a friend who regrets, posting live videos on apps such as Snapchat, Instagram Stories and Facebook Live, a study has revealed.
The survey, conducted by YouGov for children's charity Barnardo's, found the regret increased with age - 30% of 13-year-olds and 38% of 16-year-olds regretted, or had a friend who regretted posting live videos, which can be viewed instantly by friends on the apps.
The study, which polled more than 1,000 children, suggests thousands of kids may be putting themselves at risk by sharing live videos on sites with a minimum age limit of 13. These also include YouTube, Musical.ly and Live.ly, which provide "inadequate safety controls and settings", according to the charity.
"Livestreaming is being used by predators to groom children online," said Barnardo's chief executive Javed Khan. "We know from our specialist services across the UK that children are at risk of 'live grooming' on online platforms. Tech companies are simply not doing enough to keep children safe."
