Periscope: What you need to know about the app that’s going viral

Periscope, acquired by Twitter (TWTR, Tech30) in January, lets users live broadcast from their mobile devices. Sound familiar? It’s comparable to Meerkat, which was a breakout hit at this year’s SXSW. (Photo: CNN)

by: Mark Meredith

Posted: Apr 1, 2015 / 08:54 PM MDT

Updated: Apr 1, 2015 / 10:27 PM MDT

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DENVER — If you’re a regular social media user you’ve probably heard of a new phone application called Periscope. However some experts are warning parents to set guidelines on the service to prevent kids from being targeted for harassment.

Periscope, which is free to download for the iPhone, premiered last week and allows users to stream a live broadcast from their phone’s camera.

We tested out the service and found it took only seconds for nearly a hundred people to be watching our live stream. Periscope allows users to comment in real-time to the video they’re watching. During our demonstration we came across several lewd and inappropriate comments.

A FOX31 Denver family therapist expert told us he worried about the potential for young users to be targeted.

“Many young people who are alone, isolated, withdrawn, this is kinda exciting, because it plugs them into the rest of the world but they’re not looking at the safety factors,” said Dr. Larry Curry, a family therapist in Denver.

Periscope does allow users to report inappropriate behavior and can prevent a broadcast from being streamed to strangers. In a statement to FOX31 Denver, the owners of Periscope stressed they’re working to improve safety features.

“Periscope encourages users who witness abusive comments being posted to take a screenshot of the comment and email it to safety@periscope.tv. The content review team will review the report then take action, which may include removal of the content or banning the user,” said a spokesperson from Twitter, which operates the service.