Parents' Guide to

Likee - Formerly LIKE Video

By Neilie Johnson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

TikTok rival with racy content, ineffectual parent controls.

App iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android Free Photo & Video
Likee - Formerly LIKE Video Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • LIKE - Magic Music Video Editor App - Screenshot #1
  • LIKE - Magic Music Video Editor App - Screenshot #2
  • LIKE - Magic Music Video Editor App - Screenshot #3
  • LIKE - Magic Music Video Editor App - Screenshot #4
  • LIKE - Magic Music Video Editor App - Screenshot #5

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 102 parent reviews

l.fen90
l.fen90 Adult
November 10, 2022
age 18+

AVOID! Full of groomers! Disgusting

This app needs to be banned! It’s a pedophiles playgroup on this app! Absolutely disgusting the amount of children that are in danger! AVOID and keep your children safe! This app needs to be gone!!!!!!!!! Wish I couldn’t give this disgusting app a star.
1 person found this helpful.
andreaA89
andreaA89 Adult
December 14, 2020
age 16+

PARENT WARNING!! DISGUSTED

My 10 year old daughter is NOT allowed to have Tiktok because of how much bad language and inappropriate body language etc. So she found the Likee app and tells me it had "parental control" on it so of course being gullible I thought it was safe for her. She loves making videos and its fun for her and I get that. But this went on for a few days until one day I decided to check out what she's been doing to make sure she's not doing what's shes not suppose to. And to view videos from others being posted And what I came across on basically every other video was a SHOCK!! AND IT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE ON PARENTAL CONTROL!! Which states " it automatically filters out all over age appropriate videos and content etc" which it CLEARLY DID NOT!! I thought i could trust when they say "parental control" and i felt safe about this at the beginning. But boy was I totally wrong!! I immediately deleted it and my daughter was upset but I'm the parent that actually cares what my 10 year old DAUGHTER sees and hears. I even asked her why would you think this is age appropriate and her response scared me even more, she says "I haven't herd any bad songs or anything since starting " that shows me that these kids are getting immuned and its becoming so normal to them that they don't even realize its bad. Kids today with phones like they are adults already and the things they are being exposed to on a daily basis is becoming the normalcy in today's world. Society has made it so normal and it really scares me. I got her a phone to get ahold of me when she needs to and to play her app games for entertainment. And of course YouTube is a big thing as well. Which I recommend YouTube kids, thats actually age appropriate like it should be. I tried finding the contact info for this company to complain and get to the bottom of this but of course couldnt find it. Im very disappointed in this app and don't recommend it to any child unless 16 and older. Maybe even 18. I cant even put it into words how finding out parental control was a JOKE and false coming from a mother. Disgusted!

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.
See all 102 parent reviews

What’s It About?

LIKEE – FORMERLY LIKE VIDEO offers all manner of fun ways to create short music videos and share them through social media. Choose your music, record your video, and then speed your footage up, slow it down, or add stickers, filters, effects, and explosions to it. In addition to having access to a free music library, you can upload your own music, as well as add animations and effects to existing video. Enter special themed events and earn real-world cash by racking up likes, and grow your audience by browsing videos made by amateur videographers from around the world. That also means that kids can spend real money. All posts are public, though there is some control over who can send you messages and comment on your videos. There are parental controls available, but parents shouldn't rely on their effectiveness.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (102):
Kids say (52):

This is a legitimate TikTok competitor because of its cool tools and relative popularity, but it still has snafus for younger teens. Not only are the tools in Likee - Formerly LIKE Video fun and easy to use, but its user base is large enough to make browsing worthwhile. Registration's easy (though the app does ask for your location and wants to connect with your other social media accounts or your phone), and making videos requires only a handful of taps. In addition to music clips of every possible genre, you can beef up your clips with dialogue from popular TV commercials, shows, and movies or create your own audio.

The app is meant for teens and above, but there's a good amount of content created by the under-10 set, which is problematic considering the suggestive content. And while posting silly clips and gathering likes is all in good fun, kids who get mean comments or don't get the likes and leaderboard status they're looking for could feel bad. Overall, however, during the review process, comments on videos were overwhelmingly positive. That said, there's plenty of swearing, sexy clothes and dancing, and references to substance use. And while the inclusion of passcode-protected parental controls is a welcome addition, they don't seem to filter out much mature content. Even with them enabled, there was still plenty of racy stuff to see. The biggest advantage seems to be preventing private messages, which might give some parents peace of mind. For older teens who understand what's appropriate to post, can keep negative comments in perspective, and are ready for some mature content, it offers a good deal of free entertainment and opportunities for some creativity.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about age-appropriate content in apps like Likee - Formerly LIKE Video and setting limits for what's safe and OK to post online.

  • Discuss how "likes" relate to self-esteem. How important is it to your kid to have an online following? What does it mean to get likes?

  • Think about how real-world talent is reflected through online notoriety. Does the one naturally result in the other?

App Details

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