Likee is a short video creation platform where users can be creative, share videos, add music, and use filters. Users can search by hashtags and explore content shared from others worldwide and can filter results by location.
Users don’t need an account to watch the most popular videos, but do need to be logged in to access video content posted by nearby users.
There are currently 115.3 million active monthly users on Likee.
Core Functions
- Create and share short videos.
- Comment on videos, with the option to control who leaves comments on posts.
- Gain XP (experience points) to progree to new levels. Likee encourages users to visit the app with this level system. XP can be earned by opening Likee every day, watching/posting videos, fan growth, and sending/receiving gifts.
- Buy ‘diamonds’ and reward these to other users as ‘beans’ (in-app currency) which can be cashed out of the app for real currency.
Age Restrictions
There are no age restrictions when signing up for an account. The App Store has given Likee a rating of 12+ and Google Play Store suggests Parental Guidance. Common Sense Media rates the platform as 16+.
Likee’s Privacy Policy states that they do not intend for those under 16 to use their platform.
Risks
- The app can feature inappropriate content, including suggestive language and violence.
- It is not possible to make an account private.
- In the safety settings, 'Hide Location' and 'Hide my Videos in Nearby' are automatically set to ‘public’ by default.
- Users can report videos, but there is no function to report a livestream or another user.
- There’s potential for grooming behaviours, coercion, and abuse through Likee’s gifting feature.
- As per other livestreaming/video platforms, viewers can manipulate the actions of other users by gifting.
Safety Settings
- By enabling private mode, a user’s published videos will not be viewed by anyone else.
- Likee has extensive parental controls which are password protected. Once enabled, parents can:
- Block live broadcasts, news, and content in the ‘popular’ section.
- Block live broadcasts produced by the user.
- Block incoming and outgoing private messages.
- Block pop-up messages.
- Limit in-app purchases.
Top Tips
- Have open and honest conversations with children and young people in your care about not sharing personal information online.
- Check that young people know how to turn off location settings and configure safety settings on the Apps they use.
- Remind them to only engage online with people they know offline.
- Ask what they should do if they see something online that upsets or worries them. Always recommend that they speak to a trusted adult who can help them.
- If you are concerned about an App your child is using, download it and use it yourself - or use it together to get a feel for it.