Yubo is a social media app that allows users to ‘make friends’ by swiping through profiles in their area. Users can also live stream and chat 1-2-1 or as a group. It’s currently available on Android and iOS phones.
Yubo has over 50 million users worldwide. Following concerns about safety on the platform, Yubo has made major reforms in its safety measures.
Core Functions
- ‘Swipe’ on other users and send them friend requests based on their location.
- Chat privately or as a group.
- Livestream with up to 10 users, with unlimited viewers.
- Viewers can comment on livestreams, but they have to ask or be asked to join the livestream to participate.
- Filter livestreams by emojis as a descriptor.
Age Requirement
Users have to be over 13 to use this app. Yubo uses ‘age -gating’ technology, which aims to combine users with others of similar ages.
Risks
- The app uses location data to find friends nearby.
- Although the platform is moderated – young people may still be exposed to harmful content.
- Users may make friends on the app and take the conversation to another platform.
- Yubo includes various opportunities to make in-app purchases such as:
- ‘Power packs’ which allow users to see who swiped right (liked) on their profile.
- ‘Boosts’ which pushes a user’s livestream to the top of the feed (for more viewers).
- ‘Turbos’ or ‘Spotlights’ which boosts the visibility of a user’s profile.
Yubo's Safety Features
- Yubo uses ‘age gating’ so users interact with those in similar age ranges.
- 13-to-17-year-olds have their own community on the platform with limited interaction with adults.
- All users need to provide a mobile phone number and use a verification code to sign up.
- Yubo filters images and removes fake, inappropriate, or sexualised imagery.
- Yubo uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) which estimates an individual's age based on their profile picture.
- The platform forces age verification using company YOTI when a user’s age estimation (based on their profile picture) doesn’t match their registered age.
- Yubo uses human moderators and AI to screen live streams and remove inappropriate live streams.
Top Tips
- Any user can see a livestream (not just friends).
- Users should hide their personal information on their profile and can configure their location settings to protect their privacy.
- Try using Yubo together to get an idea of how it works.
- Encourage kindness and respect online to help create a safer online experience for everyone.
- Make sure young people understand the risks of image sharing and screenshots online.