In the realm of parental concerns, here’s another one.
Mom and Dad may not have heard of it, but the Wizz™ app has millions of users and it may be helpful to learn if your child is among them.
It’s a chat app owned by a Paris-based company that basically operates as a Tinder for kids.
The big worry is that Wizz facilitates sextortion, which is trickery to exploit nude pictures kids are fooled into sending.
The victim may only think they are chatting with another teen.
Cybertip.ca has received 180+ reports concerning Wizz since 2021. Compared to 2022, the protective organization received 10 times as many reports about the app in 2023.
Of these reports, 91% concerned sextortion, with males victimized in 93% of the cases.
The majority of victims reported to Cybertip.ca were between 15 – 17 years old.
Wizz’s design also allows users to feature their other social media profiles, such as Snapchat. This feature may lead sextorters from Wizz to the teens’ other social media accounts to further victimize them.
Cybertip.ca recommends all parents and caregivers consider removing this app from their youths’ phones, and talk about the risks the use of Wizz may present.
Visit Cybertip.ca for more information.
By Rick Stow