Suffolk County Officials are warning parents to keep an eye on their children as they play Pokémon Go, and are offering tips for keeping them safe.
Pokémon Go is a mobile app that combines a virtual scavenger hunt with real world exploration. Players can travel for miles to try and catch the animated creatures. But Suffolk Police Commissioner Timothy Sini is concerned that people with malicious intent—including sex offenders—might also use the game.
“This application can be used, and has been used in other parts of the country, to lure people to certain spots only to be robbed and taken advantage of.”
County Executive Steve Bellone says children who are using the app could wander alone to places they otherwise might not have gone.
“Parents should be aware of the dangers and create real guidelines for their children regarding where they can and cannot go while playing this game”
Bellone plans to send a letter to the company that produces the app asking that they work with e-STOP, a New York database that purges sex offenders from social networking sites.