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Norway police warn parents about Facebook Live

The Local Norway
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Norway police warn parents about Facebook Live
Oslo Police encouraged parents to talk to their kids about live streaming on Facebook. Photo:

Norwegian police are warning parents about what they say is a new dangerous social media trend: live-streaming from children’s bedrooms.

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Kari-Janne Lid, the head of Oslo Police’s sexual crimes unit, said that the live streams are being posted to various Facebook groups 
 
“At the end of last week, live streams of young girls in their early teens began popping up in different Facebook groups. Some of the groups have several thousand members and everyone has the ability to watch and to comment live on the videos,” Lid told VG. 
 
The new trend is the result of a Facebook update that allows users to stream live video within group pages. 
 
Lid said that the videos began with young girls using the live streams to rattle on about various topics but things quickly took a turn for the worse, with those watching posting bullying comments and questions on the young girls’ sexual behaviour.
 
“We have observed boys and girls in their early teens. Regular Norwegian boys and girls. We can tell from the backgrounds that it is often happening from their bedrooms,” she said. 
 
Police fear it is only a matter of time until the live streaming leads to abuse. 
 
“We have thus far not received any reports of sexual attacks, but we anticipate they will come soon,” Oslo Police wrote in a Facebook post, appealing to parents to help their children navigate social media.
 
“Have a conversation with young people – they have a different relationship to smartphones and publication than we adults do. We need your help to prevent attacks,” the post said. 
 
Oslo Police warned last month that an increasing number of boys and girls, some underage, are being coerced into sharing compromising images online.
 
That warning came as as police charged three teenaged boys with repeated rapes of underage girls. The boys are also accused of filming scenes of a sexual nature and posting them to Facebook groups.

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