With the massive success of "Pokémon GO," there are growing concerns that it could put its players' lives in danger. Several of its players are students.
Two weeks ago, University of Maryland students were robbed while they were playing "Pokémon GO" on their phones. Washington Times reported that four people were robbed in three separate incidents on the night of Jul. 12.
"You always see people looking at their phones, not paying attention," Hugh Monahan, a recent University of Maryland graduate, said. "If you're not paying attention, you're going to be a prime target."
The robberies reportedly occurred within a little over an hour. The first incident happened at 9:08 p.m. at Tydings Hall. The second was at 10:12 p.m. near Queen Anne's Hall and the third occurred a few minutes later in the same location.
Three students from Manchester were also robbed at knifepoint while playing "Pokémon GO" again. According to Metro, the victims were targeted in Hulme, Manchester.
"We know that criminals move quickly to exploit the latest developments to target victims and 'Pokémon Go' will already be in their sights," Detective Superintendent Joanne Rawlinson said. "I would urge parents to speak to their children about the app and the best ways to make sure they stay safe. Talking to your child is one of the best ways to keep them safe."
In Indonesia, a school has decided to check the phones of about 1,000 students. The Jakarta Post reported that this is to make sure that students did not download the augmented reality game so that they will not play it in school.
"We do not want our students to be impacted by the game, nor see it affect their learning and achievements at school, so we have issued a ban on playing the game," SMPN 1 principal Sulistyaningsih said. "After explaining the dangers of the game, students understood and were willing to remove the game application from their cell phones."
It was noted that smartphone checks were usually done to protect students from the misuse of technology.
