Alarm bells ring over ‘dating’ site for children
POLICE WARN SCHOOLS NEW APP COULD BE USED BY PAEDOPHILES
Yellow’s settings, that enable adults to view children, also create an opportunity for sexual predators to target young people
SCHOOLS in the North East have been warned that an app, dubbed the “Tinder for teens”, could be used by predators to target children.
Yellow is available for both the iPhone and Android devices and describes itself as a “free way to make new chat friends”.
Just like Tinder, Yellow lets its users swipe right and left to either like or pass on another user and, if there’s a match, they can begin chatting.
Users can then add that person as a contact on Snapchat and send them photos or videos.
But concerns have been raised that paedophiles could use the app to target children because people can just make up photos and ages.
Northumbria Police highlighted the controversial app when talking to pupils at Castletown Primary School in Sunderland about online safety.
The school wrote on Facebook: “We have been informed by Northumbria Police about an app called Yellow which is available on both iPhone and Android.
“It is basically a dating app for children. If anyone knows of Tinder, it is essentially the same, allowing young people to find others nearby and send photos of themselves.
“It is very easy for adults to use the app, posing as a young person.”
Neighbourhood Inspector Don Wade, of Northumbria Police, said: “The advice was given as part of an input by local neighbourhood officers who visited the school to speak to the children about a range of issues including online safety.
“It was given as general information around the social media sites that exist and not in response to any particular concerns that have been raised.”
Yellow’s developers say its guidelines ban anyone under the age of 13 from using the app, and users can report people if they feel uncomfortable. The guidelines published by the company also forbid people under 18 to make friends with older users. But the developers maintain they would not verify ages on sign-up. Last year, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) expressed concerns about the app. A NSPCC spokesman said: “Any app that allows strangers to send photos to children or vice versa is troubling – particularly where the images being exchanged are of a sexual nature. “Yellow’s settings, that enable adults to view children through a service blatantly aimed at flirting and relationships, also create an opportunity for sexual predators to target young people.”