As parents, we know that taking measures to protect our children is part of our day-to-day lives. When it comes to technology, specifically, we go to great pains to keep our kids safe from online predators by doing things like installing parental controls on phones and computers -- and even waiting until much later to allow kids access to those tools in the first place. Sometimes, though, as one father proves in a horrifying Facebook post, awful things happen right under our noses.
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Musical.ly is a popular "for all ages" app that allows people to record videos of themselves singing popular songs and share them with the world.
Earlier this year a mother in Melbourne, Australia, found that someone posing as Justin Beiber had attempted to solicit lewd images from her 8-year-old daughter using the application.
Brad's 7-year-old daughter encountered a similar predator while using her parents' phone to access the app.
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After a brief introduction, the predator asks the little girl her age before immediately requesting that she sends photos of herself.
Madi complied, sending along a couple selfies before the conversation took an even more sinister turn.
"Make some pics without t-shirt," the person wrote. "I like to see your body without t-shirt."
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Over the course of a few minutes, the predator demanded that she send more photographs.
"Don't tell anyone," the person wrote. "It's secret between us only."
These messages are absolutely chilling.
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After reviewing the messages his daughter had received, Brad sent one of his own before taking his case to the police.
Unfortunately, it is often difficult for authorities to find the people who prey on children through applications like Musical.ly. But with the help of one hardworking detective, this particular predator has been identified.
"The detective has found the IP address of this person and has submitted a subpoena to this app to freeze all records pertaining to this person(s). They are continuing to make progress!" Brad wrote in an update on his original Facebook post.
Brad also encourages parents to educate their children so that they are well equipped to handle the situation should something like this ever occur.
"Please, tell your kids to let you know if anyone ever asks something like this, let them know it's okay to tell you. It has helped us in this situation," he wrote.
While this story doesn't necessarily make parents any less fearful, it does serve as a reminder that education and diligence are key when it comes to protecting our kids.
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