Gen Z needs a safe space to be themselves, learn about the world, and connect with others socially online. But social media isn’t always the safest place for the tweens and teens in this generation.
Yubo seeks to change that. They’ve created a safe space for Gen Z by looking at what’s not working in other social media, talking to experts about how they can do more, and actively implementing real positive change that Gen Z wants to be a part of.
Working with Child Safety Experts to Enhance Safety
First, the company knows they don’t have all the answers. They partner with global government agencies and trusted child safety advocacy organizations like:
- Internet Watch Foundation (UK)
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (US)
- Point de Contact (France)
Enforcing Age Verification Rules
Yubo is made up of age-based communities. Each age group only sees content from people near their age.
This reduces the risk of a 10-year-old on the platform consuming content from a 17- or even 25-year-old.
That older Gen Z content may not break any rules. It may just not be appropriate for a younger Gen Zer. So they don’t see it and can have an age-appropriate social media experience.
To maintain this security, the platform uses AI age verification technology called Yoti to confirm the ages of both new and existing users. If the AI doesn’t think the teen’s picture matches their age or the picture doesn’t look authentic, Gen Z will need to provide additional verification.
Monitoring and Intervening in Real-time
Yubo is so committed to creating a safe space that they’ve invested in a whole team of moderators.
This group of humans is supported by AI that helps them hone in on unsafe activity. They can then intervene in real-time to stop the activity and educate the user about the platform rules they’ve agreed to follow.
The team and company are working to create a sense of responsibility among Gen Z users. If a user sees something that breaks rules, they are encouraged to report it.
Masking Gen Z Locations
All platform users can choose not to show their general locations. They can simply change their settings to hide that in the settings.
The social media platform also tries to stop a user who is about to share their location with someone else.
A message pops up asking them to think about it first. Do they really know this person? Is it possible they aren’t who they say they are?
Yubo has also chosen not to have a business model that involves allowing third-party advertisers to target teens. Instead, people can sign up for free and enjoy most features. But if they choose to pay a small fee, they gain access to greater visibility and fun features to enhance their content and platform experience.
No social media platform can be 100% safe, but features like this create layers of protection to reduce risk and create a safe place where a Gen Z user can interact with others their age.
