Police warn parents of mobile game used to allegedly exploit teenagers

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) — The Pike County Sheriff’s Office is warning parents to remain vigilant about their children’s phone activity after reports were made about juveniles meeting adult males on the simulation game “Avakin Life.”

The simulation game is said to be an online 3D virtual world where users create their own avatars and navigate through a virtual life.

Detective Sergeant Scott Arnold says he has interviewed multiple juveniles who say they allegedly met people on the app that turned out to be adult males seeking to establish a personal relationship with them. He says some of these cases involved sending nude images.

Arnold says the game is designed for players 17 and older however, adults are allegedly using it as an opportunity to introduce themselves to children and “persuade the child to switch to other social media outlets where instances of sexual exploitation may occur.”

It is said the app has been reported to be popular amongst Pike Central Middle and High School students.

Sheriff Jason McKinney is urging parents to check applications and content on their children’s phones since intimate image sharing is “virtually impossible to delete.”

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