{"id":34065,"date":"2014-03-25T06:00:35","date_gmt":"2014-03-25T13:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.mcafee.com\/?p=34065"},"modified":"2025-08-27T22:04:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T05:04:09","slug":"yik-yak-omegle-two-apps-never-childs-phone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/yik-yak-omegle-two-apps-never-childs-phone\/","title":{"rendered":"Yik Yak & Omegle: Two Apps Kids Need to Delete ASAP"},"content":{"rendered":"

So I\u2019ve been trying to put myself in the shoes of people who can\u2019t seem to get enough of using anonymous apps. I want to understand the strange attraction so if there\u2019s actually a redeeming side to this discussion, I want to be objective and highlight that for our readers.<\/p>\n

I guess I\u2019m a goober because the closest I can come to relating to the thrill of anonymity is in high school when my friends and I prank called our (very irritating) biology teacher at 3 a.m. and told him to stop snoring because he was keeping the whole neighborhood awake. I remember the fun of having that anonymous control\u2014even if just for a few minutes. The paranoia that ensued on Monday that our prank would be uncovered kept the drama (and thrill) of anonymity going even more.<\/p>\n

Okay, so maybe a part of me understands the fun and risk in anonymity. But it\u2019s a very small part<\/span>.<\/p>\n

I still don\u2019t get the trend toward using anonymous apps like Yik Yak and Omegle to engage in secretive and risky conversations online. Both apps are breeding grounds for bullying, racism, crude talk, predatory behavior and plain old hate. Yup, I\u2019m just a prude that way.<\/p>\n

Yik Yak<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Kids under 17 routinely click right past this warning.Yik Yak allows users to enable their GPS and anonymously chat with people in their geographic vicinity, some just a few miles away. While the users are \u201canonymous,\u201d eventually not-so-anonymous conversations emerge. I saw several comments left on posts that revealed additional personal information from users such as their KiK address, Instagram names, even real names were exchanged. So what begins anonymous for the initial connection can soon go public as users feel comfortable.<\/div>\n

Yik Yak looks harmless enough with its little friendly looking, cartoonish Yak on a green background (see graphic, right) However this app is a disaster from a family safety point of view. So if you see Mr. Yik Yak on your kid\u2019s phone, delete it\u2014immediately.<\/p>\n

I scrolled through my Yik Yak app several different times this week and could not find one\u2014not one\u2014redeeming, humorous, or useful post.<\/p>\n

According to a recent story by CNN,<\/a> Yik Yak has been used by teens in some middle and high schools for everything from cyber bullying to bomb threats that have led to school lockdowns. Although the app is meant for users age 17 and older, let’s face it, kids click right past that warning. Some schools have even started banning the app on middle and high school campuses<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In that same report, a Yik Yak co-creator defended the anonymity angle saying: “Anonymity can be a really beautiful thing, and one of the reasons we made it anonymous is it gives people a blank slate to work from, so you’re not judged on your race or sexuality or gender. On Yik Yak you are purely judged on content you create.”<\/p>\n

So there\u2019s the (very) thin upside to anonymity on apps I was looking for. Not good enough for this mom.<\/p>\n

Omegle<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Omegle is a website and mobile app that allows a user (of any age) to simply log on anonymously and chat with a random stranger. Users don’t need to register an email address or screen name. Just click a button and begin chatting.<\/p>\n

So, that\u2019s what I did. Within two minutes (no exaggeration) I was propositioned. I was asked my name, gender and age right away (I said I was 19 year-old female) and immediately<\/i> the conversation turned sexual. As you can see from the screen shots to the right, which I took on Omegle, this website (and app) is not\u2014and will never be\u2014appropriate for kids.<\/p>\n

By the way, the screenshots you see here are from the \u201cunder 18\u201d chat area, I didn\u2019t have the stomach to go into the over 18 area, which I could have done with a mere click. Any button that says \u201cDon\u2019t get pervy\u201d is going to be just that.<\/p>\n

Omegle gets more risky since video is also an option. Any user can video chat with anyone stranger via video at any time of the day or night, with no age or protective barrier whatsoever. \u00a0The site is also pulling in the college crowd in with a \u201cDorm Chat\u201d signup area that caters to college students exclusively.<\/p>\n

Omegle has been around a while. I did not know about it until my daughter told me that some of the kids she knew (middle schoolers) use video chat on Omegle.<\/p>\n

Anything goes on these sites.<\/p>\n

If you need an image to help you understand the danger, here’s one: Allowing a child to use an anonymous app to connect with “friends” would be like dropping her in on the middle of New York City at night by herself. Too dramatic? Not at all. That\u2019s reality online.<\/p>\n

Next steps for families:<\/strong><\/h2>\n