A quick information share, for those of you familiar with the social media app ‘Yellow’ it has had a name change to ‘Yubo’: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/news/yellow-changes-its-name-yubo/ If you are less familiar this app is based on similar principles to Tinder or Grindr where the user swipes right or left and make a decision to ‘like’ or ‘connect’ with someone based on a photo and short bio. Some have highlighted that this is ‘Tinder for teens or children’. As always this poses a risk of children and young people making contact with people they do not know so it is important to share information and encourage ongoing conversations about using the internet safely and developing digital awareness and resilience. With the new name changes some guidance for parents and teens has also been launched and can be accessed via the link above. Key things you need to know:
- You must not be under the age of 13 if you are using Yubo.
- There is no way to verify your age when you sign up to Yubo. This means that all children and adults can get access to this app.
- There are no privacy setting options and no way to block users.
- Instagram and Snapchat can also be linked to your account. If you have your location settings on with these apps it will also sync with location settings.
- Users can see all personal information that you post on your account.
- You can have a look at Yellow’s safety page where you can report concerns about the app
