IMPORTANT NOTICE: after having served for two years, Yolo was cancelled in 2021.
It’s important to note that after the original app was discontinued, many imitating apps with the same name appeared on the market. However, these are not from the same company.
What is Yolo, and what can one do with it?
Yolo is a complementary app for Snapchat, a popular app among teenagers. It enables users to ask and answer anonymous questions by attaching a sticker to their Snapchat Stories.
Users log onto Yolo using their Snapchat personal identities and can look over questions privately. They then choose which questions to respond to and who will see their replies on Snapchat, which typically comes followed by a selfie. Yolo is built using Snap Kit, Snapchat's software creation platform, and connects perfectly with Snapchat, a platform that teens are already familiar with and enjoy.
When the app first launched, the App Store's minimum age rating was 12 or older. However, due to the sensitivity of the content developed, it has been increased to 17+. On the Google Play Store, the age rating is also set to 17 and up.
Concerns Regarding the YOLO App
Yolo has caused serious concerns related to the multiple risks associated with its use. While it immediately gained popularity, reaching the number one app in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store within the first week, it has been heavily criticized for encouraging dangerous behavior among users.
Risks:
- Cyberbullying and Harassment: The app's anonymous nature has made it an ideal environment for cyberbullying, harassment, hate speech, and other inappropriate behavior. The media coverage has focused before on a terrible occurrence in which a life was lost because of cyberbullying on the app, forcing its temporary suspension and removal.
- Negative Feedback from Parents and Users: Parents and users have left alarming statements in different reviews. One parent described the app as a forum for "horrible and inappropriate comments," while another called it a "cyberbullying app." These reviews highlight the risk that teenagers will misuse the program.
- Yolo has been compared to other anonymous messaging apps, which have received similar criticism for encouraging bullying. These other apps were also eventually banned from the App Store owing to the gravity of the bullying situations.
Parental Concerns:
- Encourages Harmful Behavior: Yolo's complete anonymity might lead to kids sending rude messages without fear of repercussions, making it impossible to enforce anti-abuse regulations.
- Validation Seeking: The app may enhance teenagers' desire for approval from strangers, which might negatively impact their self-esteem and mental health.
- Promotes Abusive Messages: Features such as "send me honest messages" may be interpreted as requesting harming comments, creating an unpleasant atmosphere.
- Poor Safety Measures: Yolo's safety standards are ineffective in preventing cyberbullying and harassment, failing to protect underage users adequately.
Are there any safety features?
Even if the app doesn’t have any safety information available, you are still able to report content on Yolo using the 'Report inappropriate content' option, but you cannot report or block a specific individual.
This is why I wouldn’t use the app
As a concerned individual, I would not use the Yolo app. The risks involved with anonymous texting apps like Yolo are too serious to ignore. While the idea of sending and receiving anonymous questions may sound interesting, it can easily lead to damaging behavior.
Yolo's anonymity can encourage users to send harmful and abusive messages, and kids who aren't afraid of being identified may be more likely to engage in cyberbullying. Despite age categories, there is no perfect way to prevent younger users from being exposed to this type of information. Parents should be aware that these safety measures might not be sufficient for their children, and they should strongly prevent their children from using Yolo.
