Wizz is a free social networking app developed by VLB in 2022. The intention of the app is for users to find new people to chat with online. The app has a swiping system, similar to popular dating apps, where users can scroll through profiles and find someone they would like to chat to. There is no upfront cost to using Wizz, however there is an option to buy ‘Wizz Gold’ which allows premium features such as boosting the user’s profile or including videos in their profile. Wizz is currently only available on the Apple App Store.
Official age rating
The minimum age restriction for Wizz users is 13.
Wizz verifies the age of its users using facial recognition via the Yoti app, and through profile verification. The app also reports that it carries out regular verification checks and that it monitors any profiles that have shown age discrepancies in their signup, user profile, or during interactions with other users. If a user is unable to be verified, or is found to be using a false age, they cannot meet and chat with other people.
Wizz is rated 12+ (Teens) on the Apple App Store and is unavailable on Google Play.
Find out more about age ratings in our ‘A parent and carer’s guide to age ratings of apps and games’.
How children and young people use the app
The purpose of Wizz is to allow users to make new friends based on common interests around the world. However, many users also use Wizz as a dating app, adding messages such as ‘straight hmu’ (I am straight/heterosexual, hit me up) to their profile, or advertise their other social media pages.
Key features and terminology
Potential risks
Content
Like many other social media chatting apps, the content on the platform is user generated, so it may contain mature language or inappropriate content. In order to find people to connect with on the app, users swipe through other user biographies. Some user biographies have been written in a way that signals their intentions on the app, such as dating or drug-use references. Some younger users may be exposed to written content in those biographies which are not age appropriate. Encourage your child to use the ‘Find new friends’ preferences to help ensure they are only being exposed to profile types that are more suited to their age. Full information on how to do this can be found in the ‘Managing interactions and content’ section of this guide.
All chats and messages on Wizz are sent as direct messages (DMs) which means the content can only be seen by the sender and receiver. Some users choose to send personal or intimate messages and images via DMs, knowing that other people cannot see it. Remind you child to talk to you if they have been sent inappropriate messages or images in DMs. By restricting who your child can access on the platform, your child is less likely to experience language or behaviour that is not suitable for their age.
Wizz uses a 20-member moderation team and AI tools to moderate written, visual, and flagged content on the platform to help reduce the amount of inappropriate content on the platform.
Users should be aware, however, that there are many instances of users getting around this moderation by using internet slang or abbreviations that cannot be detected by the tools. Parents should be aware that their children may still be exposed to mature language or inappropriate content on Wizz due to this. Ensure your child knows that they can speak to you if they see anything that makes them uncomfortable. Parents should also go through the platform’s reporting and blocking system with their children to ensure that any harmful or inappropriate behaviour is reported.
Connecting with others
To create a Wizz account, all users must add their date of birth and share a photo of themselves. Working in partnership with Yoti, a facial recognition app, Wizz verifies the age of each user. The use of facial recognition to verify accounts also limits the ability for users to create fake accounts, pretending to be someone considerably younger or older than they are. All accounts that have been verified have a blue checkmark on their profile. Users are then categorised by age, ensuring that those between 13 and 24 can only be contactable by those their age, one year older, or one year younger than them. This means your child is unlikely to be contacted by anyone significantly older or younger than them. Parents should be aware, however, that there have been cases, where users sell the details of age-verified accounts on sites such as Reddit to people who are then able to use the verified account under a false age. This means that your child may still be contactable by people who are not the age their account is verified as on their profile. Ensure your child feels that they can speak to you if they see anything that makes them distressed or uncomfortable and encourage them to report any accounts they feel may be using a false age.
Wizz aims to connect users on the platform who have similar interests. The use of the ‘Swipe’ feature means users simply swipe right to select who they would like to message and therefore befriend, based only on their profile. By connecting with people who have similar shared interests, there is the potential for a false sense of trust to be established between users, with the assumption that they are friends because they like the same things. Often, users will ask for the details of other social media handles so that they may to know other users through different platforms. Talk to your child about what makes a friend and encourage them to connect with offline friends within the app, rather than people they do not know. Discuss the risks of connecting with strangers and explain the importance of not sharing any personal or identifiable information within chats, particularly phone numbers or handles of different social media accounts. Remind your child to tell you if they have been asked personal questions and to report anyone who makes them feel uncomfortable.
User behaviour
If your child has a Wizz account, it is important that they are aware of what they share and the impact this will have on their digital footprint. Have a conversation with your child to help them understand what is and is not appropriate for them to share. Ensure your child knows it can be difficult to keep ownership of any content once it has been shared online, as content can easily be copied and reposted without their knowledge and can then become difficult to remove from the internet.
Design, data and costs
There are frequent opportunities to make in-app purchases or upgrades within Wizz. Users on the platform are invited to subscribe to Wizz Gold, which can be bought in weekly, monthly, or tri-monthly instalments. The upgrade unlocks more chat and profile customisation options, more photo allowance on their profile as well as disabling adverts. Wizz also encourages users to buy in-app currency known as ‘WiCoins’ to send ‘Super chats’ or ‘Bulk messages’. Speak to your child about in-app purchases and ensure they understand that real money is used to make purchases within the app. You can also set the relevant in-app purchase settings on your device. More information on this can be found in the ‘Manage time and purchases’ section of this guide.
Users of Wizz should be aware of how the platform is designed to keep users engaged and active. The app sends frequent notifications, such as if they have not been on the app for more than 24 hours. For example, giving free WiCoins for maintaining a chat streak for a certain period of time. Remind your child to take time away from the app and use the notification settings listed in the ‘Managing time and purchases’ section of this guide to help manage time on the platform.
Tips for keeping your child safe
Additional tips
Wizz has recently faced scrutiny in the media for its safety policies and procedures. This has been in response to many cases of sextortion scammers using the platform to target minors. While it has returned to Apple with a new safety-based update, it is unclear whether it will return to Google Play. It is also unclear whether the safety precautions introduced by Wizz’s new update will improve safety for younger users. It is recommended that parents and carers regularly check-in with their child about their time on Wizz. Talk with your child about the people they are connecting with on Wizz and remind them of the risks of chatting with strangers.
Wizz maintains a parents advice page that is aimed towards both teens and parents and offers them information and advice on following the platform’s community guidelines.
