Bigo Live app is one of the world-famous with more than 500+ million users. This app links countless people with its live-streaming function, which is super fun and also a great way of earning. So, if you are new to this and wanna learn more about this app, keep reading.
What is the Bigo Live app used for?
As the name suggests, “Bigo Live” is a live-streaming app that connects random strangers through live broadcasting, video chats, games, etc.
Bigo Technology is a company located in Singapore that introduced Bigo Live in 2016. This app allows streamers to show their talents and share their memorable stories, funny content, live chat, live gaming, etc.
Moreover, Bigo Live is one of the most popular apps among teens. The younger generation finds it joyful to see life happening and stay closer to the world. In the process, they can make online friends, etc. Furthermore, anybody can comment and send gifts (beans) in live streaming. The person who receives more gifts is considered highly popular on Bigo Live.
Key features of Bigo Live
Bigo Live has many advanced features, which is why it is popular among teens. Some important key features are discussed under:
+ Multiple guests: You can arrange meetings, interviews, or group chats by inviting up to 12 people with this feature. So, it allows several users to engage and enjoy their special or interesting moments with others.
+ Co-streaming: Two live streamers can connect and link their viewers together to expand their reach. This form is more interesting and attractive because audiences feel fresh seeing multiple hosts.
+ 3D Avatar: It is a cartoon avatar that lives streamers can use instead of their image during live streaming. Avatars are available in various styles, including both male and female avatars, some with moving and waving hands. Users can choose avatars that suit their personality.
+ Beauty filters and fun effects: Similarly, streamers can change outlooks with beauty filters, which puts an impression on the audience. No doubt more people will like you and join your streaming, which makes you more popular.
+ Video call: You can invite anybody on a video call by tapping Guest Live in the viewer’s profile. It is an important feature to create one-on-one calls with your followers, friends, and even random strangers.
+ Virtual gift: Virtual gifts are available as beans (Bigo’s currency), which people can send to their favorite streamers. Moreover, these beans can be converted into real cash so that people earn money via this app. This is the biggest factor in enhancing mutual interactions among Bigo users.
+ Bigo family: The Bigo family is a group of app users who help each other by following, supporting, and viewing each other’s broadcastings so that they may reach their monthly targets. Therefore, by collaborating for profitable purposes, people get emotionally attached and support each other.
+ Private room: Streamers can create a private room for the selected audience (subscribers, followers, etc.). Then, they may come to live separately in the room, which gives the followers a special feel.
+ Streaming options: While live streaming, you can not only show yourself but also mirror your mobile screen and show users what you are doing, like gameplay, app usage, social media, books, movies, and so on.
Is Bigo Live safe to use?
Bigo Live like anything else, is a double-edged sword, which can do good as well as harm, depending on the user.
Bigo Live has many advanced features, that, if used wisely, can help you in many ways, like making friends, earning a living, and so on. But if someone uses it unwisely, like getting too addicted, doing stupid stuff for followers, or being a toxic stalker, the platform can be harmful.
There are built-in safety features in Bigo Live that every user should follow for personal safety.
i) Stream viewer management
As a streamer on Bigo Live, you have full control to manage your viewers, which you can access in the following:
Step no 1. When live streaming, click on the viewer icon (upper right corner) > a list of all viewers will appear.
Step no 2. Select your desired viewer from the list > a pop-up tab will open from the bottom > click on the manage (upper left corner), and then another pop-up list will open with many options, such as:
- Mute: If some people keep leaving negative comments, you can mute them and get their access to comment on you.
- Kick-out: You have the authority to kick a certain audience out if you do not want him/her watch your streaming.
- Admin settings: You can set a viewer you trust as an admin so that you can focus on your stream. And the admin will look over other tasks like muting and allowing someone to enter the stream.
- Report: If you find someone to be abusive, using drugs, fraudulent, terrorist, spreading illegal content, etc., you have the right to report them to the Bigo team so that they can take action against them.
ii) Real-time content moderation
Bigo Live has a feature called real-time content moderation, which consists of AI & human moderators looking for illegal content on the app and deleting it right away.
The first line of defense is AI, which looks for content when it is being uploaded, and if it finds something suspicious, it will delete it in less than 60 seconds.
The second line of defense is human moderators, which judge the content marked by AI when someone reports it or finds something themselves. These moderators are present in more than 10 countries, providing their service in 20+ languages for the ease of Bigo users.
You can report or block any viewer using the below method:
Step no 1. Click on the search bar and write the profile of whom you want to block/report.
Step no 2. In the profile, click on the 3 dots > a pop-up menu will open with the report and block option.
Remeber that Bigo Live tries to solve your issues as early as possible. But if you feel that it’s an immediate danger, then contact your family or local law enforcement without hesitation.
iii) Your own privacy settings
Bigo Live allows users to hide sensitive data, so you can manage it by going into privacy settings, including:
- Hide your location
- Your recent online time and date
- Restrict screenshots and screen recordings, etc.
Is Bigo Live appropriate for children?
The official age limit to use Bigo Live is 12+ years old and 18+ years old to withdraw money.
Note that Bigo Live does not have any solid verification system to identify the user’s age. Most children have immature minds that they cannot figure out whether they are doing right or wrong. If parents don’t check regularly and allow them freely access to the Internet, the likelihood of children becoming involved in toxic activities increases and can even be life-threatening
It is worth noting that Bigo-Live isn’t a bad app or evil. It’s just that you only give it to your child if they are old and mature enough. Without strict monitoring of little ones’ online activities, you may see the following bad effects:
Obsession and addiction – Some children are obsessed with this app, and they do not give proper time to their other essential activities, such as studies, health, exercise, indoor and outdoor games, etc, which has a bad effect on their future and mental health.
Exposure to adult content – The Bigo Live moderator team cannot catch everyone crossing safety guidelines, so any users might see inappropriate data on screen. However, you can control your directions and make your streams, viewers, comments, and videos healthy & positive with the help of the settings options we mentioned above.
Privacy leakage – It is not unusual for someone to unintentionally expose personal information on their social media posts, which may cause serious issues because some negative-minded people can catch it as an opportunity for bullying and harassment.
Parenting tips to safeguard your children’s safety
As you know, Bigo Live gives its users a lot of access. To keep your children protected from the hazards of harmful use of this app, parents should be aware of some important tips, such as:
- Be patient and supportive
Most children hesitate to ask for help from their parents when facing problems because they fear blaming or punishment. Therefore, parents should not scold their children baselessly and should spend time with them in a friendly and patient way. Let them know you will support them and get them out of the situation, just like a friend.
- Talk about sensitive stuff
Parents should openly talk about what are toxic online activities, what are responsible behavior. Educate children on the importance of privacy and do not expose their personal information ( such as full name, personal contact number, photos, school name, or email address, etc.) to any stranger.
- Monitor online activities
The first line of defense for your kids is to monitor their phones, knowing which apps they are using, to whom they are talking, and more. In this way, you can take action if you see anything inappropriate.
- Make schedules for them
Make proper schedules for them, when they have to study, when they have to go on a walk, and when they can play games. Also, fix their screen time so that they avoid excess use of the internet.
To keep your children on track, like setting a time for daily usage, blocking certain apps, parental control apps are the best solution for you. And you can manage all that via the Internet from anywhere in the world.
Bonus info: FlashGet Kids
FlashGet Kids is one of the best parental control apps you can ever find on the internet.
With FlashGet Kids, you can manage Bigo-Live and other similar apps with its advanced features:
- Monitor Bigo-Live 24/7: With the screen mirroring feature, you can see your kid’s phone screen on yours and know what they are doing on mobile. And the best part is you can see it anytime and from anywhere in the world. Besides, you can also enable notification syncing of FlashGet Kids, which will show all your kid’s phone notifications (purchases, game updates, messages, etc.) on your phone so you can stay up-to-date.
- Limit screen time: FlashGet Kids allows parents to set screen time limits on kid’s phones. Then, beyond the allowed timespan, the FlashGet Kids will shut off the app/mobile automatically. Moreover, you can also set no-use limits on specific times like dinner, school time, and sleeping time.
- App blocking: If you think some apps are dangerous for your kids, like Bigo-Live, then you can simply block them on your kid’s phone via FlashGet Kids directly from your phone. They will not be able to use those apps again unless you unblock them again.
Final thoughts
No doubt, Bigo-live is a great app for entertainment, friend-making, and also earning. However, it also contains violent and adult content, which can harm your kid’s mental health and destroy their school & social life. So, make sure that your kids are above 18+ to use and activate all the age-restriction filters.
Besides, a better option is to install a reliable parental control app on your kid’s phone, like FlashGet Kids, which can monitor and manage almost all your kid’s phone activities so you can save them from a bundle of disasters.
