VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) -- A popular app is causing concern for parents and law enforcement.
Yubo -- referred to as “Tinder for Teens” by many people -- allows teenagers to swipe and “make new friends” based on their location.
The app, which formerly was known as Yellow, boasts 15 million users around the world. It lets a teenager join live chat rooms with up to four friends, and an unlimited number of people can watch.
Detective Kristy Curtis with the Virginia Beach Police Department said apps like Yubo are dangerous, giving predators an easy way to talk to children.
“You have people from all over the world who have access to your child which is pretty scary if you think about that,” said Curtis.
The app’s creator said in its online parent safety guide that its safety features include separating users that are under 18 years old.
However, when 13News Now went on it, there was nothing in place preventing someone from making up his or her age and gaining access to users under 18.
14-year old Aubrey Ashenheart told 13News Now her classmates often use social media as a way to meet people, but she wasn’t fond of some of the app's features.
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable with people watching me or just being able to watch me without me knowing who they are," explained Ashenheart.
Parent Michelle McSweeney said her greatest fear is that an adult could impersonate a child and lure an unsuspecting teenager to meet in person.
“I don’t feel like the app should exist at all,” said McSweeney. “I feel like apps like this just open doors that are too scary for kids this age.”
Detective Curtis said parents should pay attention to how their kids interact with social media in order to prevent their children from becoming victims.
“If that child is demanding privacy, that you cannot see their phone or they have to be in a bathroom or a bedroom and want to be alone when accessing their phone, that’s a red flag,” said Curtis.
Curtis also said its helpful to for parents to communicate with their children about the dangers of social media and to act as a role model by practicing online safety.
13NewsNow reached out to Yubo for comment but the company did not respond.