Yubo: Is it Really a Safe Social-Networking Site for Teens?
- Danielle Tuazon
- May 8, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: May 9, 2020
Yubo is marketed as a safe app for teens to connect with others to make new friendships and talk to new people. This app provides a great connection for people to meet friends online, but is this app safe for minors?
Yubo, formerly known as Yellow, is a location-based social media app where users can connect with other users online. The app has an adding system which is similar to Tinder. Users can swipe right on profiles they are interested in; they can swipe left on the profiles they aren’t interested in. The app allows users to set up live streams and has a chat section for people to send messages to friends and other users.
Yubo has millions of users worldwide from countries like France, Australia, etc.. Users have the option of talking to people worldwide or in their respective countries. The app is available for two age groups: 13-17 year-olds and 18 and up. Profiles are separated depending on their age group.
The main concern for this app is it is very vulnerable for minors to be exposed to adults and strangers through social media. Zara Whelan wrote an article named, “Parents warned about Yubo app dubbed “Tinder for teens”, saying this about the profiles, “Those who register as over the age of 18 are blocked from contacting younger users, however, the app does not verify ages upon sign-up, leading to fears that it could be exploited by those seeking to target children.”
The app encouraging teens to post pictures of themselves publicly didn’t sit well with me. The profiles can only tell so much about a user. It is very limited, consisting only of a few pictures and a short bio for each profile.
I would say from my experience of using the app that a lot of teens are there to flirt with other teens, but I do acknowledge many users want to make friends on the app.
A user can only change their age once when they create their profile. Unless they make a new one, they are stuck with the age they put. There is no age verification, making it easy for adults to lie about their ages and even for minors to do as well. Kids could say they are 13 when they are 11, adults can say they are 17 when they are 19.
Users can make friend requests through seeing profiles in the adding system, a recommended page of profiles, and through live streams. However, live streaming on the app is available to all age groups. 18+ users can choose to join live streams with minors and minors can join live streams with adults. Live streamers can see every profile that joins and has the right to block or kick a user out of their lives. My concern with this is that minors still have access to live streams with adults. I think that Yubo should’ve done the same thing with restricting age groups in the adding system and incorporated the same restrictions on the live streams.
Overall, I think that minors should know the dangers of talking to strangers online. Yubo isn't that different compared to Snapchat and Instagram. In my opinion, it is more vulnerable and exposed than any other social media app I’ve used. I’ve heard from friends that they’ve met new people and make new friendships from this app. The others I’ve talked to told me how they’ve received provocative messages from other users, as well as asking them for their Snapchats and Instagram handles, invading their privacy.
I wouldn’t recommend this app for minors because they can be exposed to accounts of adults and receive inappropriate or harassing messages. Yubo can be a great way to meet new people and make new friends but it is a sketchy app. I would advise users to be careful and aware of who they choose to add and chat with because they may not always be genuine.
Article:
Comments