PARENTS have been warned over an app dubbed “Tinder for teens” with fears it exposes children as young as 13 to sexual and racist messages.
The app named Yubo has over 20million users worldwide and allows teenagers to interact with each other.
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Users swipe to accept or decline to talk to someone based on their profile picture or adding friends while live streaming.
The app has a minimum age limit of 13 and anyone under 17 needs to confirm they have the permission of a parent or guardian.
It was created by three French engineering students and it has reached millions of users around the world.
But now an investigation by the Sunday Times has found that young users are exposed to sexual harassment, racism, and bullying.
A reporter posing as a 15-year-old girl found often users asked her for nude photos and suggested having sex.
A lot of conversations also involved self-harm, suicide, and drug use.
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Schools have issued urgent warnings to parents warning them about the content of the app.
Headteachers said in a newsletter that: “due to the nature of this app, your child may come across content that is not appropriate to them”.
It comes as social media bosses face paying hefty fines if they do not cooperate with online safety regulations under the new Online Safety Bill.
The new rules see media companies removing illegal and inappropriate content, especially for young users.
Yubo claims it monitors user profiles and messages for inappropriate content however racist names and chats about drug use went unnoticed.
A spokesperson for Yubo told the outlet: “We are saddened to learn of the journalist’s experience and can only apologise for the way she and others have been impacted during this time on our platform.
“We’re taking the investigation by The Sunday Times extremely seriously and have instigated an immediate review of the safety features and how they may have failed.
“Our users and their safety always have, and always will, come first.”
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