It's the latest craze to take children, adults - and, seemingly, the entire world - by storm.

But it appears that Pokemon Go - the app which allows players to fight digital monsters in the real world - is already prompting serious cause for concern.

Despite having been available for download for just a matter of days, the game has already been linked to anecdotes of broken bones, dangerous driving and other serious injuries, as users follow the creatures across roads and fields with their eyes glued to their screens.

But, more worryingly, there are now claims that the app could be used for something more sinister altogether - such as paedophiles using the 'lure' element of the game to trap distracted children.

Pokemon Go, which has taken the US and Australia by storm, sees players hunt down digital monsters which appear on their phone in the real world, including supermarkets (pictured)

The characters appear on phone screens unexpectedly as the player is going about their daily life including in shops (left) and on footpaths (right)

In this picture, one of the monsters has appeared between two bottles of spirit in someone's living room

One element of the game sees users putting a 'lure' on a certain area, which causes Pokemon to appear in that position, attracting gamers to the area.

Fearful of where this could lead, one woman carried out an 'experiment', which saw her post a 'lure' to see how many people turned up. Within moments, several children had arrived at the chosen - most without parents - having ignored their usual 'stranger danger' radar in pursuit of the monster.

'It occurs to me that someone could use this for nefarious purposes', the user known as Robin wrote.

'There's a sense of camaraderie that is built up around this game. The kid I just played with definitely lost his stranger danger sense.'

There are also concerns that opportunist thieves are using the game to track down vulnerable victims, using the lure technique to draw would-be victims to secluded areas.

And any safety warnings issued by the developers took an even more terrifying turn when one US teenager stumbled across a corpse floating in a lake as she climbed over a fence to reach her desired spot.

Shayla Wiggins, 19, reportedly found the body in the town of Riverton, just days after the app was released. The local police said in a statement that the death appeared 'accidental in nature'.

People have reported seeing distracted players and cyclists wandering across roads without noticing oncoming traffic, because their eyes are glued to their phone screens

This picture shows a lobster creature having appear in front of Sydney Harbour Bridge. The game was released in Australia last week and is already the highest-selling app

Others are also warning that the app - which 'lures' people to certain areas as they attempt to hunt down the monsters - could be used by paedophiles to trap distracted children. These pictures show the characters appearing in the street (left) and one someone's ash tray (right)

Elsewhere, people have reported seeing distracted players wandering across roads without noticing oncoming traffic, while drivers have also been pulling over in dangerous spots to catch one of the sought-after creatures.

The cautionary tales will be at the forefront of parents' minds as creators plan to release the popular app in the UK.

Although the date has not yet been confirmed, Niantic Inc - a spin-off of Google parent company Alphabet Inc - plans to roll out the app in Europe, South America and Canada.

Developers are now saying the release date has been 'paused', while issues surrounding the download - which saw several sites crash due to the app's popularity - are smoothed over.

But those behind the game have vowed to continue expanding the app's reach, following the huge success in the US, Australia and New Zealand.

Experts also warned that the game could be manipulated for the wrong reasons.

An NSPCC spokesman said: ‘Given its massive popularity with children it’s worrying that this game appears susceptible to being hijacked by those who may wish to harm them.

'When creating these games companies must consider the potential risks to young users and do everything they can to make sure their app doesn’t put them in danger.

'Manufacturers can help protect children by giving them safety reminders about privacy and location controls and make it easy for them to report things that worry them. It is also important for parents to stay aware of what their children are using online and talk to them about how to stay safe.”

Another woman recently posted about her 'experiment', which saw her post a 'lure' and see who turned up. She said several children arrived at the spot without parents, ignoring 'stranger danger' radar

THE (RATHER DANGEROUS) APP TAKING THE WORLD BY STORM Pokémon Go is a mobile game that encourages players to use their smartphones' GPS to catch virtual Pokémon in real-world locations. Players - known as Poketrainers - begin by choosing a starting character: either Bulbasaur, Charmeleon or Pikachu. They then travel between the real world and the virtual world of Pokémon to capture different creatures which hide in locations suited to their species. Pokemon Go allows players to flit between the real and virtual world to capture different creatures which appear on phone screens in a number of real-life locations (the map of the game is pictured above) When gamers come across a creature, they can throw a ‘PokeBall’ (shown left and right) in an attempt to capture the Pokémon. These pictures show the creature Squirtle appearing on the screen This means that if a Pokémon is a water species, like a 'magicarp' or 'squirtle', they will likely be found in locations where there is real water around. Other places the monsters might hide are grass, air, or other ground such as pavement. Some creatures are harder to find and capture than others. As users move around the virtual map their smartphone will vibrate to let them know when a Pokémon is nearby. There are a number of Pokestops within the game, which are real-life landmarks where Pokemon often hide Gamers can then throw a ‘PokeBall’ at the creature in an attempt to capture the Pokémon and add it to their collection. After players capture the creatures, they can then train their Pokemon and 'battle' them against other creatures at 'gyms' - which are actual landmarks. Users can also stop at different real-life local landmarks known as 'PokeStops', which is where many of the Pokemon appear. Gamers can explore cities and towns around in their vicinity and around the globe to capture as many as 722 species of Pokémon. Advertisement

Pokemon Go - a virtual treasure hunt - allows players to catch characters in spots such as a living room, back gardens, supermarkets, police stations and schools.

Fans - known as Poketrainers - will start with either Bulbasaur, Charmeleon or Pikachu as their main monster, before walking around the real world and chasing the virtual characters as they appear in different locations on their phone screens.

The creatures hide in locations suited to their species. A water species such as a 'magicarp' or 'squirtle' will likely be found in locations where there is real water around, while others might hide in grass or in the air.

As users move around the virtual map their smartphone will vibrate to let them know when a Pokémon is nearby.

Gamers can then throw a ‘PokeBall’ at it in an attempt to capture the Pokémon and add it to their collection.

Police in Darwin had to tell players not to turn up at the station, which was used as one of the 'Pokestops' - and to 'look up, away from your phone and both ways before crossing the street'

One Reddit user warned that they had ended up in hospital after falling down a ditch while playing the game

After players capture the creatures, they can then train their Pokemon on their phones and 'battle' them against other creatures at 'gyms'. They can all stop at different real-life local landmarks known as 'PokeStops', which is where most Pokemon appear.

But the danger arises when the characters run away from their would-be captor - meaning users end up chasing the creatures through parks, roads and fields, often with their eyes glued to their screens.

Developers issued safety warnings about the game, urging players to keep an eye on their surroundings as they play the game.

HOW TO GET THE APP IN BRITAIN Pokemon Go is not yet released in the UK but thousands of gamers are already finding a way to cheat the system. iPhone users can change their settings to make it appear as though they are in the US, where the app is available for download. That can be changed by going into Settings, then General, the Region, and changing the App Store country from the UK to the US. Users can then search for Pokemon Go in the App Store and download it. They will then have to sign out of the new Apple account and back into their old address. Gamers with Android phones can download the file contacining the game from various websites, before launching it as they would the official app. Neither method is endorsed by the creators although there are already several UK landmarks used as PokeGym or PokeStops. Advertisement

But, within just a few days, there were numerous reports of people tripping, stumbling and hurting themselves as they failed to spot obstacles.

In one reported incident, Kyrie Tompkins fell on the pavement and twisted her ankle as she was wandering near her home in Maine, US.

On Reddit, one user revealed how the game had 'put me in the ER last night'.

'Not even 30 minutes after the release last night, I slipped and fell down a ditch. Fractured the fifth metatarsal bone in my foot, 6-8 weeks for recovery. I told all the doctors I was walking my dog lol... Watch where you're going, folks,' the post read.

Several pictures also emerged on social media which show people chasing creatures in all sorts of dangerous situations, including while driving.

Then, last week, just four days after the US release, four teenagers were charged with first-degree robbery and armed criminal action for allegedly using the game to commit robberies in Missouri.

Brett Miller, 17, Jamine Warner, 18, Shane Backer, 18, and a juvenile suspect, 16, were charged after 'luring' alleged victims to certain areas where police say they were then able to pounce.

Police said the teenagers 'baited' their victims with the 'lure' element of the game before robbing them in secluded areas.

'The way we believe (the app) was used is you can add a beacon to a Pokestop to lure more players,' the O'Fallon Police Department wrote in a Facebook post.

Sergeant Bill Stringer said it was made possible because they are 'not aware of their surroundings because they're staring at their phones'.

'Using the geolocation feature, the robbers were able to anticipate the location and level of seclusion of unwitting victims,' he added.

The department also added a warning telling people 'not to alert strangers to your future location' if using the app or have children.

One Twitter user revealed that people had been turning up at his house to capture the creatures because his home used to be an old church

Although there is much appetite for the game in the UK, those behind the app have not yet revealed the release date. Developers plan to roll it out across South America, Europe and Canada

Police in Australia also felt compelled to warn residents about the dangers of the game, as people turned up in their droves to Darwin Police Station, one of the 'Pokestops'.

They wrote: 'Please be advised that you don't actually have to step inside in order to gain the pokeballs.

'It's also a good idea to look up, away from your phone and both ways before crossing the street. That Sandshrew isn't going anywhere fast.'

Another user posted on Twitter that strangers were turning up at his house because it was a former church which featured as a stop in the game.

Although there is much appetite for the game in the UK, those behind the app have not yet revealed the release date.

John Hanke, boss of Niantic, has hinted that any imminent release has been 'paused' while they try and smooth out download issues which affected the release in the US.

The mobile title has been so popular in the places where it's already playable that the servers that make it work have been crashing.

Because of this, Mr Hanke said the roll-out to the UK would be 'paused until they're comfortable'.

Unable to wait for the official release, some people in the UK have managed to change their Apple ID on their phone to be linked to the US, which then allows them to download the app.

That method has not been publicly endorsed by creators Niantic and Nintendo.

The Pokémon Company is a media franchise which was created in 1995 centered on fictional creatures called Pokémon, which humans – known as Pokémon trainers – can catch and train to battle each other for sport.

A video game launched 20 years ago for Nintendo Game Boy was the first of the franchise.