- Check call logs
- Set up call whitelist or blacklist modes
- Add numbers to block calls
- Track when blocked numbers try to call or are called
Video Calls with Strangers: Discover the 14 Apps and Websites You Should Avoid
In today's digital age, children are increasingly exposed to internet dangers, including video calls with strangers. According to the Internet Watch Foundation, 60% of children contacted by strangers online have been urged to perform sexual acts through random video chat platforms.
In this article, we explore the main apps and websites that can put your child's safety at risk and how you can protect them using AirDroid Parental Control.
Which Video Chat Apps Should We Be Careful About?
The goal of these apps is to match random people of any age for one-on-one chats, which can easily attract curious children wanting to meet new people and socialize more.
These random video call platforms often present themselves as friendly and safe social networks, but with free access and no age control, your children might use them thinking they are fun without knowing what they might encounter.
Some of these apps are:
1 Bazoocam
Bazoocam is an online video chat platform that connects users with random strangers for video and text conversations without registration.
This app also offers mini-games to play while chatting. However, 8 out of 10 people appear on screen without clothes.
2 Coomeet Chat
CooMet is a paid online video chat platform that claims to have excellent moderation, flawless design, and high levels of security and confidentiality.
Unlike other platforms, it offers a premium experience for those looking to meet new people and find potential partners, making it clear that children should not access this platform.
However, users can register without identity verification and get 5 free minutes to connect with strangers. In the stories section, users might encounter provocative content posted by others.
3 ChatHub
ChatHub is another video chat platform with strangers, presented as an alternative to Omegle, a well-known random video chat app among teens. It also has an app for Android and iOS, making it more accessible.
Like the others, this app has no age control for users or what is shown on camera.
4 Chatrandom
Chatrandom is a free video chat app that lets you talk to strangers worldwide. It offers basic free features like random matching and the ability to choose the connection country.
In the paid version, users can filter by country, hide their location, remove ads, and more.
The biggest risk for your children on this app is the option to connect with gay men for explicit video chats, and most promoted channels are sexual in nature.
5 StrangerCam
StrangerCam works like CooMeet, embedding the app on its website. Like CooMeet, it promotes finding a romantic partner on the platform.
Users can access explicit content and find adults looking for erotic video chat partners.
6 ChatSpin
ChatSpin is similar to Chatrandom, with features like face masks, gender and country filters, private chat, and paid options to control connections. Its functionalities and paid premium features are the same.
However, users can encounter explicit content on screen without age verification.
7 Omegle
Omegle is the most popular random video chat platform. It was one of the first to allow anonymous interactions via text or video. However, the platform is no longer operational.
Its founder, Leif K-Brooks, announced its closure due to financial and psychological challenges, making it unsustainable to manage a network promoting anonymous interactions while combating misuse.
8 Chatroulette
Chatroulette is another well-known random video chat app promoted by YouTube content creators. Initially, it required payment to interact with users, but now conversations can start for free.
The biggest weakness of this app is users showing fake videos as their cameras. They pretend to be minors to gain the trust of children using the app.
9 Camloo
Unlike other apps like Chatroulette, Camloo uses AI to verify that the camera image is a real face. This prevents explicit content from being shown on screen. However, there is no age control for users, exposing minors to grooming risks.
10 Camsurf
Camsurf is another app that connects people by their country of origin. Unlike most video chat apps, it promotes friendship rather than romantic relationships. It also has apps for Android and iOS.
Although it focuses on making friends, your children could be targeted by predators seeking to build a friendship to request intimate photos.
11 Holla
Holla is another online video chat app with over 30 million users. Holla lets you chat and video call with friends or meet new people worldwide using a friendly interface. It also has apps for iOS and Android.
Most users on this app are under 18, making it a goldmine for predators and bullies.
12 TinyChat
Tinychat is a free online video call service that lets users create temporary themed chat rooms for group video calls on various topics. Unlike other platforms, TinyChat promotes conversations in group rooms.
Although your children don't interact directly with one person, the topics discussed in these rooms can be too intense.
13 Fruzo
Fruzo is a platform promoted as an online dating app based on random video chat. Unlike other platforms, Fruzo allows users to follow the profiles of people they meet, facilitating cyberbullying.
14 Emerald Chat
Emerald Chat promotes itself as the best alternative after Omegle's closure. This app combines different modes of interaction with random people worldwide. It allows users to interact in one-on-one text mode, one-on-one video mode, and group rooms.
This app combines the features of all the apps mentioned, meaning children are much more exposed. Group channels discuss intense and sometimes sexual topics that can harm any child's sensitivity.
These platforms represent a small fraction of the number of video call apps with strangers, but the risks each one poses individually are significant, including cyberbullying and exposure to inappropriate content.
Bonus: Protecting Your Children with AirDroid Parental Control
Ideally, kids shouldn't be able to sign up for video call sites where they talk to strangers because of age limits. But as a parent, you should watch out for whether your child is making or receiving calls from strangers on their phone, whether by accident or through someone else's influence.
We suggest using AirDroid Parental Control to help keep an eye on your child's phone activity, including calls they make and receive.
Don't let your children be exposed to the risks of video calls with strangers. With AirDroid Parental Control, you can ensure they are safe while exploring the world.
Start a free trial today and secure your children's well-being!
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