Nadia Sawalha took some time to show Loose Women viewers just how easy it is to set up a fake account on teen dating app Yellow.
The app is known as “Tinder for teenagers” and operates in a similar way to the widely used app. After setting up a profile users swipe left or right to indicate if they’re interested, and if both users agree, are given access to other social media accounts.
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Nadia brought her daughter Maddie onto the show to demonstrate the app – which is aimed at children over 13 – to viewers.
The pair used an old photo of Maddie to set up an account, claiming her name was Chloe, and that she was 15 years old. The page took minutes to set up, and there was no attempt to verify Chloe’s true identity.
“How do I set this up without my parents’ permission,” Nadia asked Maddie, as the pair looked over the app.
“You just click ‘agree,'” Maddie told her.
Looking horrified, Nadia asked if this was all a predator would have to do to create a fake account.
Maddie explained that the app, while marketed as a way to make friends, was about dating, and largely image focussed, operating in a way almost identical to Tinder.
“You swipe left if you don’t like the way they look,” she said. “It’s all about the way you look.”
Nadia’s fake profile got 15 friends in a short amount of time, as well as a message calling the fake Chloe “fit.”
She noted that the app makes use of emojis, with co-host Ruth Langsford pointed out that it included the more suggestive ones, such as the peach and the aubergine – commonly used to reference certain body parts.
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Viewers took to twitter to express their concern over the app.
“Absolutely terrifying! I’m so glad I don’t allow my daughter to use apps and go online etc. @loosewomen #LooseWomen #pbloggers,” said one viewer, while others thought it was serious enough to warrant police intervention: “I bet the police are seriously monitoring that app. Well done for bringing awareness to this today on t. V. People need to know about this.”
Other’s seemed to think it was useless to worry about this app over others. “Every app is dangerous for kids not just certain ones,” one viewer tweeted.