App Guide

YOLO

Name: YOLO

Owned By: Popshow, Inc.

Category: Social Networking

Operating System: IOS and Android 

Available for download: Yes

Desktop version: No 

Approximate release date: 2019

Age Rating*: Rated 17+ for the following:

  • Infrequent/Mild Realistic Violence
  • Frequent/Intense Mature/Suggestive Themes
  • Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes
  • Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
  • Infrequent/Mild Medical/Treatment Information
  • Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References

Brief Description*: Share your link and let your friends tell you what they think. Reply directly in your stories! YOLO is for positive feedback only. If you send harassing messages to users, you will be banned.

*Information from the App Store

  • Anonymous posting

    YOLO allows Snapchat users to provide anonymous feedback to their friends.

  • Cyberbullying opportunities

    Because of the level of anonymity, cyberbullying is likely. Many youth have reported that their friends have said unkind things about them through the app.

  • Login with Snapchat

    In order to access YOLO, users must login with their Snapchat credentials.

  • Private chats

    When a user posts a Snapchat story and attaches an “Ask me anything”  YOLO sticker, their friends can swipe up and provide anonymous comments privately.

  • Accesses Bitmoji avatar

    By granting access, YOLO can access Bitmoji profiles, which are avatars that look like the Snapchat user.

  • Inappropriate content

    Because of the level of anonymity, inappropriate messages are common.

Reviewed By: Ryan

YOLO is currently suspended and not functioning.  There is pending litigation related to cyberbullying a the subsequent death of a 16 year old from suicide.

YOLO is an app that allows you to ask for feedback from your Snapchat followers. You can log into YOLO using Snapchat, which automatically allows for the use of your Bitmoji avatar if you have one. Once you have the app, you can ask for anonymous feedback from friends on Snapchat through your Story.

Before YOLO, there was Ask.fm, Lipsi, Secret, Whisper, Yik Yak, Sarahah, Tbh, After School, and Formspring. Tellonym is currently another similar one used frequently on Instagram.

The age rating for YOLO is 17, but I’ve had discussions with 5th graders about this app. The flaw with an anonymous app through Snapchat is the unkind things that will be said. One 11-year-old I met was struggling to understand why her supposed friends would say such unkind things to her. I told her that it’s easier to say unkind things through YOLO than it is to a person’s face; she decided to delete the app.

The developer of this app, Gregoire Henrion, was quoted as saying: “We feel that anonymity can unlock super good behaviors. We think we’re more empathic, more human than other anonymous apps before us.” A little exploration into developmental psychology could help Gregoire to understand that kids can be cruel in person and through social media. YOLO is not the first anonymous app and most likely will not be the last.

I would not recommend YOLO for anyone under 17 years old.