Perhaps ironically, Snapchat recently launched a mental health initiative called “Here for you” which aims to assist with users’ emotional wellbeing, even as apps like YOLO threaten to undermine it.Īt the same time, there are experts who point to benefits from anonymous apps like YOLO, noting that they can provide a forum for young people to engage more authentically and honestly than would otherwise be possible in the fishbowl of mainstream social media. Statistics show that somewhere between one in four and one in five Australian children have been the victims of cyberbullying and, as a result, may have an increased vulnerability to anxiety and depression. parent review of Yolo on Common Sense Media Random thoughts questions and opinions from unknown people.
Apps like YikYak - described by one commentator as “a trainwreck of an anonymous messaging app” which was based on user location - Whisper (an online community where millions of people around the world share real thoughts) and the diabolical Sarahah ( ).Ĭyber experts have a name for this disturbing behaviour: “online disinhibition effect.” Simply put, people feel free to express their worst selves when their identities are hidden. We know this because we’ve seen it before - over and over again. And when there’s zero accountability the risk of inappropriate behaviour skyrockets.
Teens are still learning how to navigate socially - online and off. The thing is, the cloak of invisibility that the app affords practically invites cyberbullying and hate speech. Many kids use Yolo as a fun way to answer harmless questions - according to its developers, questions like “Who’s my celebrity lookalike?” or “How could I be nicer?” or (and here it’s already getting dicey) “What do people really think of me?” Senders are simply identified as “Someone” - and stay that way unless they choose to reveal their identity. Yolo - a common shorthand for "You Only Live Once" - lets Snapchat users answer anonymous questions posted to their stories.
The Snapchat-connected anonymous messaging app made news this week when it raised an additional $8 million in funding, introducing measures aimed at protecting users from predators (even as it launches expanded group chat).īut undoubtedly the greatest risk YOLO poses is its core feature - anonymity - and how teens are likely to handle (or mishandle) it. Today, it’s still in the top 100, with 10 million active users. When Yolo launched in May 2019, it zoomed to number one on the iTunes downloads chart.