It’s the augmented reality game that became a global phenomenon this summer, but one Irish charity is warning parents that playing Pokémon Go unsupervised could put children in serious danger.
The sex abuse charity One In Four says the game provides the perfect cover for predatory paedophiles.
In the game, players use a mobile device’s GPS capability to locate, capture, battle, and train virtual creatures, called Pokémon, who appear on the screen as if they were in the same real-world location as the player. During the game, players are led into fields, forests, car parks and various other areas that may be unfamiliar to them.
Pokémon Go also includes an option to place a ‘lure’ in a certain area, where a Pokemon will later appear. When one woman conducted an experiment to see how many children her lure would attract, she was horrified to see several children, most unaccompanied by an adult, arrive at the spot within minutes.
In July, a convicted sex offender was arrested in the UK after he was caught playing Pokémon GO with a teenager. In the state of New York, sex offenders are banned from using the app while they are on parole. Unfortunately, no such restrictions exist in Ireland.
One in Four’s clinical director Eileen Finnegan told the Irish Independent that the game could make it easier for lurking predators to film children as they follow the map to hunt PokéStops in their local area.
“If they’re going around with Pokemon Go, you may get people who are predisposed to paedophilia seeing it as a prime opportunity,” she said.
Already downloaded by more than 130 million people worldwide, the game has been hailed a World-record breaking success, with plenty of parents praising its ability to get kids out into the fresh air for some active fun.
There’s no denying it has its drawbacks however. Our advice? Get stuck in but make sure children are accompanied by an adult at all times with no exceptions.
Does your child play Pokémon Go? Tell us about it on Twitter @HerFamilydotie.
