While investigating popular apps that allow predators direct access to your children, a real-life dangerous game of hide-and-seek was uncovered.
"Many of these mobile applications -- whatever you want to call them -- have the ability to let their child broadcast their location, but it gives essentially a stranger access into that child’s bedroom. It has video capability, still image capability, chat capability. This is nothing a parent should be excited about," said Special Agent MacDonald, who can't reveal his face as he works undercover with the FBI Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Anyone can use the apps, and while specifically investigating LiveMe -- which has 20 million users -- News 6 discovered live videos showing children and young teens interacting with adults. The kids were asked for personal information and were persuaded to take off their clothes. News 6 even found predators preying on children in Jacksonville and Orange Park.
"Very often we talk to victim's parents, and they are just speechless that their child fell victim to something like this," MacDonald said.
News 6 found video after video while randomly browsing the LiveMe app. After signing up with just a username and an email address, News 6 witnessed frightening examples of child exploitation.
[RELATED: Parents learning how to talk to children about digital use, screen time | Study finds apps for children may violate federal privacy law]
Concerned about some of what News 6 discovered -- which could be classified as child pornography -- we contacted the FBI and turned over all the information News 6 gathered to protect the children involved.
It involved two young girls, likely not even teenagers. They were livestreaming from a bedroom and had more than 100 viewers, according to News 6 sister station WJXT.
"Oh, my God, 132 people!" one of the girls said while watching the number of viewers grow.
Hoping for internet fame, they're rewarded with prizes and more followers.
"My God! Thank you for sending gifts everyone!" one of the girls said during the livestream.
These two girls were having conversations with people hiding behind anonymous usernames.
"Tell us your address so we can come to see you."
"No! Heck no! Don't do that!"
The girls' parents clearly have no idea what's going on the bedroom.
"We might do a livestream at 1 a.m.," one of the girls whispered to viewers who were still watching.
News 6 contacted the FBI after it saw one of the girls go to the back of the bedroom, strip naked to only her underwear, and someone with the username "Dog 12" comment to the young girls to "take everything off."
"It is happening everywhere, worldwide," said Special Agent Bernard, who also works undercover with the FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Neither Bernard nor MacDonald can single out one particular app, but both agents are concerned about any apps that allow livestreaming.
"The hunting ground of individuals that have a sexual interest in children has relocated to online," Bernard said.
Among the more concerning features News 6 found on LiveMe was location services. It can be used to pinpoint exact locations -- within 10 feet.
"I don't think that any parent would be OK with strangers visiting their child in their child's bedroom at night," the undercover agent said. "That's essentially what some of these smartphones and applications allow a predator to do."
Other examples News 6 found on LiveMe include:
Example 1
A young girl told followers on her livestream that she lived in South Georgia.
"I am from Orlando, Florida, and right now, I'm in Valdosta," she said.
Example 2
A girl calls a follower after he gives her his cellphone number.
"Hello? So this is your real number," she said in the livestream.
Example 3
A girl, who was clearly underage, was live-streaming while dancing provocatively in her bedroom.
More than 800 people were watching her and commenting with things like, "love you," "kiss me," and other comments that are too sexually explicit to repeat.
Example 4
While a girl was livestreaming, commenters told her things like "open your dress" and "take off your jacket."
News 6 showed the LiveMe app to Clay County Sheriff's Deputy Chris Padgett. He's a former sex crimes detective, and he's also a father of three.
"With my daughter, I would be highly concerned about this and overwhelmingly bothered if I knew that my daughter was on this app. With 364 complete strangers watching her sit in her bedroom," Padgett said. "I'll be making contact with our cybercrime detectives after this to make sure that they are up to speed on this."
Detectives confirmed they've investigated two cases where local girls were solicited for sex on LiveMe.
"It's happening right here in Clay County. It's happening in Duval and St. Johns and Putnam and all over the United States," Padgett warned.
If you don't think your children have this app, you could be wrong.
"A lot of girls in my school have it, and they wanted me to download it, I guess, so I could watch them live," said Nathan, who is 14 years old.
While kids know about LiveMe, some parents said they had no idea until News 6 showed them.
"That's not good at all. I don't know what to say," said Melissa Zona, who has four children with her husband, Paul.
"It's open for anybody to ask them to do anything," said Paul Zona. "There's ways that we can protect, but if we don't know about it. I wasn't aware about it until today."
"My kids won't be on it," added Melissa Zona.
On the LiveMe app, it says: "Sexual or violent content is strictly prohibited. All violators will be banned." LiveMe administrators say employees are looking for inappropriate and illegal content. But it does happen.
Other apps TeenSafe warns about
LiveMe is not the only app causing concern. The organization TeenSafe warns about dozens of apps in its TeenSafe Smartphone App Blacklist 2018. Some of the apps blacklisted include:
Snapchat
Kik
Tinder
Down
Yodo
TeenSafe said not only are the apps making children vulnerable to predators, they are also a haven for cyberbullies.
Parents: You need to do this
FBI agents and detectives say parents MUST check phones and tablets their children have and also limit how often they use them. They also want parents to do these three things:
1. Keep phones and tablets out of bedrooms.
2. Watch for odd behavior. If your child seems aloof or addicted to the phone, that's a red flag.
3. Look at your child's search history. If the search history is deleted, that's cause for concern.
If parents suspect their child is a victim of exploitation, they should contact their local law enforcement or they can report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.