WIZZ ..’Tinder for teens’ – A safety guide for parents, carers and professionals
Snapchat, Instagram, Myspace, AIM…Wizz is the latest app to connect young people online. The Wizz app, which has been dubbed ‘Teen Tinder’ for its similarities to adult dating apps, has raised serious safety concerns and there has been alleged use of the app in sextortion scams. The app is already being used by approximately 20 million youngsters.
Wizz is marketed as a ‘social discovery app’ that allows users as young as 13 to join and connect with users of a similar age. It claims to be the ‘ultimate online platform for random chats with people from all over the world’ and the fun, according to the app’s tagline, comes from the unexpected. This description might already be setting off alarm bells, yet it’s Wizz’s dating app style features that have drawn concern among parents worldwide.
Similar to adult dating apps Tinder and Bumble, users of Wizz can look at a stranger’s profile and choose to swipe left to dismiss, or right to start a conversation with them. After looking at a few profiles, you come across sentences such as ‘straight hmu’ (I am straight/heterosexual, hit me up), sexually suggestive emojis, and hints to slide into DMs on Instagram or Snapchat.
Wizz users must be 13 and over and they are required to take a selfie with Yoti, an app that uses AI to verify age via a selfie. If Yoti cannot verify successfully, a Wizz team member reviews the photo to confirm the user’s age. If it still can’t be determined, the individual cannot use the app.
But there are concerns about the flaws which can expose young Wizz users to online dangers that include…
- Exposure to bad language and inappropriate content
- Exposure to conversations involving drugs and sex
- Phishing and scams
- Grooming and sexual predation
- Blackmail and sextortion