Monkey/Yee/Monkey Monkoy App Review

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In December 2020 we noticed that Yee is not available on the Apple App Store. However in Google Play, both the Monkey app and the Yee app are available. To confuse things even more, an app called Monkey Monkoy (with an icon almost identical to Monkey) that is the same sort of video chat with strangers app is available on the Apple App Store. As far as we know, these apps are not affiliated with one another. Bottom line: there are lots of risks in these types of apps (read below)!

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What is the Monkey App?

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These types of apps allow kids to have fun chats with new people from all over the world. Users are randomly matched with other users for a brief, introductory video call. When matched with a new person, you can add more time or add the person on Snapchat to continue the connection.

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According to the owners of the Monkey App, “We want to create the new hangout spot for Gen Z where genuine face-to-face conversations are being fostered, instead of chasing brief and shallow social exchanges like collecting likes on Instagram.”

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How Does the Monkey App Work?

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Users download the app and can begin chatting with random people. Similar to that of Omegle. Which was a horrible app that led to exposure to so many harmful things for kids around the world.

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However, Monkey appears to be the predecessor to Omegle, and even has ties to the shut down site.

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This link on their website contains Omegle's Logo, name, and phrasing. When you click on the link, it brings you to the Monkey app. They mention Omegle numerous times in their description, which is alarming for how much exploitation occured on that site. To catch up on what happened with Omegle, here's this post. And here's the link to the according lawsuit (some images are slightly graphic).

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Any app that randomly puts you face to face with other people is extremely risky, esepcially for kids.

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What Do Parents Need to Know About the Monkey App?

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For an app that caters to teens, there’s no age verification. We are more and more of the opinion that apps who cater to kids must have some sort of age verification in place in order to provide a safer environment for young users, but Monkey/Yee/Monkey Monkoy doesn’t have any of this.

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Bullying and user safety are monitored. The app is trying to do the right things.  In fact, the Monkey app’s owners called us at Protect Young Eyes (which we appreciated) in order to make sure we clearly understood the extent of their efforts to keep their community safe. They claim to have 24/7 content moderation (https://monkey.cool/safety).

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No real privacy. Teens who use the app will be sharing three types of information, including personal information (name, profile picture, date of birth), user contributed content (the photos, texts, videos, and screen shots shared with other users), and automatic information (browser, I.P. address). Each of these is covered in the App’s Privacy Statement and has different levels of protection.

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In summary, Monkey does collect a lot of data about its users and shares all three types of information with third parties as needed. Teens need to remember that nothing is private and there’s always a risk that what is done is secret could be made public. This statement from their privacy statement summarizes this thinking:

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"Due to the inherent nature of the internet and related technology, we do not guarantee the protection of information under our control against loss, misuse, or alteration."

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– Monkey Privacy Statement: https://www.monkey.app/#/privacy

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The app’s ecosystem (look and feel) resembles Snapchat, which makes it comfortable for kids to use.

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Sexualized content is possible. The Monkey app’s owner explained in great detail the steps the app is taking to analyze and moderate potentially sexualized content in the app. They currently engage two image recognition companies to scan user content for anything inappropriate. This is a great step.

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But, we’ve received emails from very concerned parents about what their children are being exposed to. One mom told us her daughter was contacted by a man who sent her a video of him masturbating to her videos. Another dad said, “Within 10 minutes of logging into this app my child was inundated with sexual requests, mostly by men of age 19 to 29. This is a very unsafe app for kids.”

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There’s only so much that can be controlled.

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Anonymity = good thing/bad thing. This is both a benefit and a detriment. The app’s creators want Monkey to be a place where kids who might benefit from finding a listening, non-judgmental ear is there for them (they shared a few comments from users who struggle with bullying who found solace in the app), but we just don’t believe that most teens have the wisdom to know how to navigate anonymous environments.

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How to Make Monkey Safer:

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Regardless of the app, three actions mitigate the risks we’ve shared. We teach these actions in our parent presentations:

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1. Require approval for all app downloads.
2. Follow the 7-Day Rule
3. Enable in-app controls and settings

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We explain each of them briefly below. If you’ve already set up approvals for downloads and have used the app, please skip to the In-App Controls & Settings.

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Require Approval for App Downloads

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You can control app stores by requiring permission for apps to be downloaded. This is ensures your child doesn’t have access to an app without your knowledge. Here are the steps (for Apple and Android users):

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For Apple Devices:

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To require permission to download an app, you’ll need to set up Screen Time and Family Sharing (Apple’s Parental Controls). We explain this process step-by-step in our Complete iOS Guide (click here).  

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Once Screen Time and Family Sharing are established, here’s how to require permission to download apps on an Apple device:

1. Go to your Settings app.
2. Select your Family.
3. Select the person you want to apply this setting to.
4. Scroll down to “Ask to Buy” and enable.

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For Android Devices:

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You’ll have to use Family Link (Android’s parental controls) to ensure you retain control over what apps are downloaded. We explain this process step-by-step in our Android Guide (click here).

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Once Family Link is established, here’s how to require permission to download apps on an Android device:

1. Go to the Family Link App
2. Select the person you want to apply this setting to.
3. Select “Google Play Store”
4. Select “Purchases & download approval” and set it to “All Content.”

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Follow the 7-Day Rule

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This is our tried-and-true method of determining whether a specific app is safe for your specific child.

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Before you let your child use it, download the app and use it for 7 days.

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Create an account with your child’s age and gender and use it for 7 days. Play through a few levels, review the ads, see if anyone can chat with you, and poke around like a curious child.

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After a week, ask yourself, “Do I want my child to experience what I did?”  Even if you decide to allow them to download the app, now you have a basis for curious conversations about the app when you check in.

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Enable In-App Controls & Settings

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As stated earlier, there's not many controls here. But since we don't recommend this app to anyone, the lack of controls doesn't really apply here.

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Bottom Line: Are the Monkey/Yee/Monkey Monkoy Apps safe?

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Parents, we just don’t think teens need these types of apps. Although we appreciated the information shared by the Monkey app’s creators and the efforts they’re taking to protect kids, we can’t condone random conversations among teens. 

What if I have more questions? How can I stay up to date?

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Two actions you can take!

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1. Subscribe to our tech trends newsletter, the PYE Download. About every 3 weeks, we’ll share what’s new, what the PYE team is up to, and a message from Chris.
2. Ask your questions in our private parent community called The Table! It’s not another Facebook group. No ads, no algorithms, no asterisks. Just honest, critical conversations and deep learning! For parents who want to “go slow” together. Become a member today!

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