Teens Are Using A 'Yik Yak' App To Slander And Threaten Their Classmates
Netflix
"No profile, no password, it's all anonymous."
That's the tagline of the app - Yik Yak - that's climbing the charts in the App store these days. It's especially popular among teenagers (you have to be 17 or older to download it, the site says).
Sources say high school students are using the app to anonymously post hurtful and inappropriate comments about their classmates.
The Chicago Tribune reports that at least two Chicago-area high schools sent home letters to parents Wednesday about "Yik Yak" and last month, a teenager in Mobile, Alabama was arrested after making shooting threats on the app.
Here's what the app looks like.
Apple App Store
The feed resembles a Twitter feed, though no usernames or identification details are associated with what's being posted.
Before you download the app, a push notification appears asking you to confirm you're older than 17, but all you have to do is press the "confirm" button; there's no way to prove your age.
The messages you see on your feed once you download the app represent "nearby Yaks."
Chicago's New Trier Township High School district principals Denise Hibbard and Paul Waechtler were the administrators who sent letters home to parents this week, reports The Tribune.
"While we know we cannot eliminate all of these apps and social networks that offer anonymity to our students, we can work together to help them understand how the digital footprint they leave now may affect them and others for years to come," read the letter.
Administrators at both Marblehead High School and New Trier Township High School were unavailable for comment.
- Welcome to the white-collar recession
- Singapore Airlines was ordered to pay a couple compensation for 'mental agony' after they complained their business-class seats didn't automatically recline
- A 101-year-old woman keeps getting mistaken for a baby on flights and says it's because American Airlines' booking system can't handle her age
- “Wish to follow in the footsteps of PM Modi!” ‘Anupamaa’ star Rupali Ganguly joins BJP
- “Wish to follow in the footsteps of PM Modi!” ‘Anupamaa’ star Rupali Ganguly joins BJP
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage on iPhone 15: Killer game to debut on Pro and iPad on June 6
- 5 worst cooking oils for your health
- From fiber to protein: 10 health benefits of including lentils in your diet
- Nothing Phone (2a) blue edition launched
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market