Is the Yubo App Safe? A Yubo App Review for Parents

Harmful Content 😲

Yubo is kind of like an unchaperoned party that’s taking place in your child’s bedroom, behind closed doors, with strangers. Signing up for the app is simple, and while parental consent is required for users under 18, it only takes a simple click of a box for an underage child to bypass this step. 

The dangers kids can encounter come primarily from interacting with strangers via text and video chat — things like profanity, sexual content,  nudity, drug/alcohol use, and more.

Predation 🚨

It’s possible that not only can unknown teens connect with your child through the app, but unknown adults, as well. Because member profiles are image-based, users can pick any photo they wish for their identifying pics. Stealing photos of a kid from an existing social media profile is as simple as uploading a screenshot or saved image. A predatory adult could then use those photos to set up a fake account with a fake age to lure unsuspecting teens into an online friendship.

Privacy 🔒

Users can display the city or town in which they live, putting their real-life identity at risk. “There are multiple groups/clans of people on this app that will threaten to take your account, leave your address, parent’s names, phone numbers, IP address, and literally all other personal information you could possibly think of,” one user wrote in an App Store review.

Parental Controls ✅

Yubo has no real parental controls. You can block users and mute words, but these aren’t passcode locked, so they can be changed at any time. 

Bark can provide help for Yubo. We’re here to help you keep your kid safe by allowing you to:

• Block Yubo entirely, if needed.
• Manage when your child can use Yubo throughout the day.

So, should my kid download it?

No, the Yubo app isn’t for children, and the company states as much in their 17+ app rating. It introduces childrens to strangers from all over the world and gives them the option to video chat, which is definitely a no-go.