Australian children targeted by sexual predators on new app Yellow

CHILDREN are being targeted by sexual predators through a disturbing new app that’s been dubbed “Tinder for teens”.

CHILDREN are being targeted by sexual predators through a disturbing new app dubbed “Tinder for teens” with multiple cases of child grooming referred to police, a cyber safety expert has warned.

The app, Yellow, reportedly has five million users and is growing in popularity among Australian school-aged teenagers keen to “make amazing new chat friends”.

The worrying app is marketed to children, and combines the swipe mechanism and “match” features of Tinder to connect kids with Instagram and Snapchat’s photo editing and messaging services.

Once users start chatting on the app, they are given the option to add each other instantly on photo-sharing app Snapchat and continue their “friendship”.

Along with security concerns, there have been reports of children being pressured to send nude photographs and being coaxed into explicit sexual conversation while using the app.

According to cyber safety expert and former police officer Susan McLean, that’s just the beginning.

Yellow is for people who want to ‘make friends on Snapchat’, but experts are warning teenagers to stay off it. Picture: Yellow/App store

Ms McLean took it upon herself to set up a Yellow profile after a number of parents approached her with concerns about their children using the app.

“I set up four accounts recently just to see what would happen and the first conversation I had on one of them asked to send nudes right away,” she told news.com.au.

“It was straight into the sexual stuff — send us a nude picture, here’s a dick pic.”

The app comes with a message that users must be at least 17 to use it, but Ms McLean said in most cases she knew of children using Yellow were in their early teens. She said she knew of multiple cases of predators creating profiles with the intention of connecting with kids.

“I’ve had two families inform me of cases of grooming and those cases are now in the hands of the police,” she said.

“It’s getting more and more popular and more concerning. The content is sexual, it is a concern, and it’s been a concern from the day it started.

“It starts slowly and it only takes one child in a friendship group to have it and everyone wants it as well.”

It’s supposed to be for ages 17 and up, but kids much younger are using it. Picture: Yellow/App store

The app has been criticised for its lack of security. Picture: Yellow/App store

Yellow has already caused alarm in the UK where it’s said to be the second most popular app after Tinder.

Concern around the app has prompted the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in the UK to issue a warning to parents about the app’s use.

“We do know that those who are seeking to groom children will use this mechanism and can do it incredibly quickly to start to groom a child, until they make sexual contact by making sexual requests of a child,” the organisation’s police manager Lisa McCrindle told Sky News.

The app’s developers have downplayed concerns around children’s safety, but told Sky they were “developing a set of tools to avoid deviant behaviours”.

But Ms McLean says it’s also up to parents to take responsibility.

“What parents need to understand is that if there is an app that is going to be popular with children, that doesn’t have good blocking and safety mechanisms, then predators are going to go there,” she said.

“The good predators aren’t on Facebook anymore. They’re on apps like these with limited security and especially apps that blow up in popularity very quickly.”

Police regularly mount campaigns educating parents and teenagers about the dangers of social media. Picture: Zak Simmonds

The cyber security expert recommends parents regularly search the Apple or Android app stores and online news and technology websites to stay informed about the latest apps and social media services their children may be using.

“Kids don’t always think about their safety and how their information’s being shared, they’re kids. That’s where adults have to be adults in the situation,” she said.

As for Yellow, Ms McLean’s advice was to just stay off it.

“Even though it’s not a hook up app per se, anything that hooks you up with random strangers is never a good idea,” she said.

News.com.au has sought confirmation of child grooming investigations from police.