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Yik Yak

Yik Yak App Review (It's Back)

What is Yik Yak?

After being removed from app stores in 2017, Yik Yak is back as of August 16, 2021, and skyrocketed to the top of the Apple App Store. Here’s its description:

YIK YAK IS BACK!

On Yik Yak, anonymously connect with everyone within 5 miles.

It’s the same Yik Yak experience millions knew and loved, and now you can live it again.

All you need to do to get started on Yik Yak is verify your humanity with a valid U.S. phone number.

Inside the app, your identity is a secret. This makes it fun and easy to jump into conversations without societal labels! Everyone is equal on Yik Yak.

Other people within 5 miles of your location on Yik Yak are your “herd”.

When you post a message (called a “yak”), it’s visible to your herd.

You can upvote or downvote yaks to show your like or dislike of the content!

On the Hot feed, yaks from the last 24 hours are ranked by number of total upvotes!

App Category: Social Media

Corporate website: YikYak.com

APP Store rating: 


What do parents need to know about Yik Yak?

It’s anonymous. That’s a problem. This app connects you to anyone within a 5-mile radius.

Yik Yak Anonymity

It’s rated 17+. That’s appropriate. But only if parents have enabled app store ratings controls in Apple and Google. You can read about how to do that in Apple here and Google here.

Due to anonymity: bullying, predators, and sexualized content are almost guaranteed to be problems. Unless the app hires a massive group of moderators. This quote from FairPlay seems accurate to the PYE Team: “Famous for rampant racism and sexual content, the app is concerning, especially when we consider that teens and tweens are likely to use it.”

To its credit, Yik Yak has some of the best Community Guardrails that we’ve read in a while (see screenshots below). But so far, in the history of widely-used apps that are based on anonymous connection, the guardrails fail. We will see if that also ends up being true for Yik Yak.

Yik Yak Community Guardrails

Are there parental controls in Yik Yak?

  • No, there really isn’t anything in the traditional sense to control regarding content, time controls, etc.
  • There is an upvote and downvote process where Yaks that reach -5 total vote points are removed from Yik Yak. So, in theory, a Yak could receive 5 up votes and 9 down votes and end at a -4, and not be removed.
  • Each Yak that receives -5 need to be reviewed by the Yik Yak team before they are removed.

The bottom line: is Yik Yak safe for your kids?

Yik Yak is not safe for children. We suspect that it won’t stay in the App Store for long.

3 amazing ways to keep tabs on an app like Yik Yak:

  1. Get the App Stores under control – Apple (iOS) here and Google (Android) here.
  2. Stay current on the digital landscape by registering to receive our free, weekly Download newsletter.
  3. Stay current in bite-sized chunks be downloading our Protect App! (Apple here, Google here)
Click/tap the image for more details!

*There might be affiliate links throughout this post because we’ve tested and trust a small list of parental control solutions. Our work saves you time! If you decide that you agree with us, then we may earn a small commission, which does nothing to your price. Enjoy! 

NEW Protect Young Eyes Logo (2020)

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