There have been calls for an app aimed at teens to be banned after several arrests were made.
Known as Wizz, the app enables children to swipe on different profiles to start a conversation with others, similar to how popular dating apps work.
The platform is aimed at those aged 12 to 18, with one teen describing it to the New York Post as ‘Tinder for kids’.
On the Wizz website, it says: “The Wizz app’s intuitive interface allows you to effortlessly find friends who are online when you are, turning every swipe into a potential new Wizz profiles pop up with cool bios, photos, emojis that capture their vibe, stickers for interests and their favourite music. Like what you see and want to be friends? Send them a message! Very easy! It’s all in your control!
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“Engage in real-time conversations on Wizz with peers from around the globe. The Wizz app brings the excitement of live interaction, making the world feel a little smaller and a lot friendlier.”
However, there have since been multiple arrests made across the country after it was discovered that adult predators have been using the platform to sexually assault teens.
One arrest was made in Florida in 2024 after it was found that a 20-year-old man was posing as a 16-year-old on the Wizz app and was speaking with a 14-year-old girl.
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In Washington, a man, 23, was charged with rape after he met up with a 12-year-old girl after talking to her on Wizz. The victim reported to police that the man had pretended to be 15.
In Hawaii, a 19-year-old Marine was charged with the sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl that he met after speaking with her on Wizz, and in Chicago, a 27-year-old man has been charged with the sexual assault of multiple girls he met on the app while pretending to also be a teenager.
Last year, Wizz was temporarily removed from both the Apple App Store and Google Play following concerns raised by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, but the app has since been reinstated.
Many people have taken to social media to share their own thoughts on the matter, with one user writing on Reddit: “Yes we absolutely should ban an app that advertises itself as being a safe space for children. But at the same time allows adults in pretending to be children.
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“Parents and children will use this app thinking it’s safe (because that’s how it’s advertised). If there was a school disco we wouldn’t accept allowing a 30yo in there saying they are 13.”
And another added: “I believe that consenting adults should have much more freedom to do whatever they want (so long as it doesn’t negatively impact others). However, the government absolutely should be banning things that are targeted towards children and are obviously unsafe.”
On safety, the Wizz site states: “Safety has been an absolute priority since the start of Wizz, and this is the reason we’re different. The Wizz app's comprehensive safety ecosystem, including a suite of safety tools, robust infrastructure, and iron-clad policies, positions Wizz among the pioneers of safety innovation.
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“Wizz uses sophisticated AI safety algorithms for age verification, developed by Yoti, a company trusted by the UK Home Office and NHS, which scans the face of every Wizz user during sign-up to estimate their age.
“The Wizz app uses liveliness detection at sign-up and constantly does checks of user profile consistency to ensure all Wizz users are real and people and who they say they are.”
UNILAD Tech has contacted Wizz for comment.