Yik Yak App: New Weapon for Cyberbullies
The new message app Yik Yak is keeping principals up late at night. It is the newest message app that high school teens are using to bully their classmates. Unlike messaging apps such as Whats App, Kik, or Snapchat, Yik Yak is totally anonymous. There are no user names, passwords, or profiles to identify users. It functions similar to twitter except the Yak wall does not have users names. The app only shows a stream of anonymous messages. Users can either up vote or down vote the messages.
Yik Yak was designed to allow college students to share anonymous stories that take place on campus. In our review of the app a lot of Yaks popped up regards to things that were happening on the campus of Georgia Tech. Yak maybe appropriate on a campus with thousands of students. It is less likely that the app will be taken serious by young adults. The problem for parents is that the app has caught fire in local high schools. Principals since the release of the app have been dealing with incidents of bullying. Some principals have went as far as banning the app.
In response, Yik Yak has created a zero tolerance policy against cyberbullying. Any users using full names or telephone numbers will be banned from the app. This policy is having a small impact due to app users complaining on Google Play that their accounts are being deleted due to bullying.
It is important for parents to block this app or delete this app off their teen’s phones. The developers clearly intended for the app to be used by adults. The app is rated 17+ in the App store for Nudity, Sexual Content,Crude Humor, Drug Use, etc. Parents can also request that school IT departments block access to the app within the school.
Please let us know below if your child has come into contact with Yik Yak.
About the Author
Sedgrid Lewis Sedgrid Lewis is the founder of Spy Parent LLC. He is an internationally recognized safety expert specializing in surveillance equipment, internet monitoring software, and mobile applications for parents and child care professionals. Sedgrid has been highlighted in over 20 major publications. Sedgrid has been covered by Fox News, CBS News, NBC News, Readwrite, Gizmodo, and many more. He is a contributor to Your Teen Magazine.
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