“I’ve made so many amazing friends who also identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community through Yubo,” says 18-year-old Asher from Australia. “I absolutely love how open and supportive we are towards one another.” It’s always great to get this kind of feedback as we want Yubo to be a  platform where everyone can express themselves without fear of judgment. 

Indeed, we’re extremely proud to have such a large and active LGBTQIA+  community on Yubo. 2.8 million users have included the Pride flag in their Yubo profile since April 2020 and more than 4,000 livestreams about gender identity, sexuality and other LGBTQIA+ topics take place worldwide on our platform each day – that’s around 1.45 million livestreams a year! 

LGBTQ+ Life Around The World | Yubo 2021 Pride

Earlier this year, we asked Yubo users in the US, France, UK and Australia who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community to pick the most pressing topics for them and their allies so that we could put together a programme of livestreams to celebrate Pride month. 

As a result, we hosted various educational talks and Q&A sessions throughout June on topics such as gender fluidity, family acceptance and challenging racism. We also organised make-up tutorials, discussions about self-love and youth engagement and a drag queen ball. 

It was quite a month and we couldn’t have done it without the amazing support of a number of LGBTQIA+ organisations and influencers from around the world, including @montykeates, @sebbbyjon, @calypso_jete, @yaniskaia and @lyanna_queen.  Thank you to all those involved – you helped members of the Yubo community to think, laugh, share, meet new people and get inspired.

In mid-June, we announced that 35 gender identities and 50 pronouns in multiple languages are now available on the Yubo platform to give our users a more personalised and inclusive experience. It’s another proud moment for us as we’re the first platform to enable our users to customise their profile in this way. 

We worked with UK-based LGBTQIA+ focused NGO Mermaids on this initiative. As Matt Moore of Mermaids says, “It’s  extremely important that organisations like Yubo are taking these steps  to make their platforms a more inclusive place for gender-diverse young  people.” 

Our CEO and Co-Founder Sacha Lazimi notes that we want our entire community to feel accepted and included.  We’ve already built a platform that is not focused on followers or  ‘likes’ and, by providing LGBTQIA+ young people with a range of gender identities and pronouns for their Yubo profiles, we’re going even further in helping our users represent themselves authentically. 

One of our ambassadors, 20-year-old  Zach who is based in the US, describes the addition of gender identities and pronouns in the Yubo app as a landmark. They praised Yubo for giving users the option to meet like-minded people who can provide support and comfort they may not get from their community, relatives or friends. “It’s the family you can choose,” comments Zach. 

This sentiment is echoed by 17-year-old Ryan from France who says, “On Yubo I have been able to find friends and to fully accept myself as I  am… [Yubo] is full of kindness, we share our doubts and we advise each  other to move forward.” Or as 18-year-old Zekorri from the US puts it, “… we can find people who are like us and who can help us feel more ourselves.”

Pride month was an opportunity for Yubo to help advance LGBTQIA+ equality and amplify young people’s voices. As June drew to a close, we realised something: our platform really is a safe space for LGBTQIA+ young people; a place where they can open up and share their hopes, dreams and concerns. 

With Asher, Zach, Ryan, Zekorri and many others in mind, we remain committed to making Yubo even more inclusive and working with young people around the world to get their voices heard – during Pride month and every other month of the year.

Want to know more about how Yubo supports young people?

Check out our ‘Friends not followers’ and ‘Let’s talk identity’ blogs.

Looking back at Pride month

Looking Back at Pride Month

We like to go against the grain here at Yubo. Unlike many other social media companies, we’ve built a platform without influencers, followers or likes. Instead of putting pressure on our Gen Z users to be popular, we simply want them to be themselves, have fun and make friends. Our new brand campaign focuses on this, with messages such as ‘Life not likes’, ‘Community not clout’ and ‘Just be you’.

Research shows that the ‘like economy’ encourages social comparison, which can affect young people’s self-esteem and wellbeing. A study by the University of Turku found that many social media users (young women, in particular) feel pressured about their appearance and researchers at the University of York say that social media metrics, such as likes, even have the potential to change how we feel about our memories. 

With this in mind, we’ve created a positive environment where every young person is welcome. We urge Yubo users to be friends, not followers and to create genuine interactions without the pressure of follows and likes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve all had to stay apart in the real world – connecting and socialising in our digital spaces in an authentic way has become more important than ever. As one Vox journalist puts it, “Inevitably, the platforms and types of content that people took comfort in during the pandemic were ones that felt the most real.” 

With authenticity at the heart of Yubo, we’ve clearly tapped into something special. We already have more than 45 million young people using our real-time livestreams to socialise with their peers in a safe environment. In the first two months of 2021, daily streaming increased on Yubo by over 8.7% and our users are becoming more and more engaged – hand raising in livestreams increased by almost a quarter (24.5%) and live screen sharing went up by more than a fifth (23.7%).

As the Yubo community spends more time on our platform, we continue to provide advice and tools, such as age recognition and real-time safety alerts, to help our users improve their digital awareness and stay safe.

In support of our new brand campaign, we’re showcasing some of the amazing friendships that have flourished on Yubo in recent times. We know that Gen Z has been hit hard by the COVID-19 lockdowns – for example, research by Harvard (US) and the Mental Health Foundation (UK) reveals that many young people have grown increasingly lonely over the course of the pandemic. As our CEO and Founder Sacha Lazimi says, “One of Yubo’s goals is to combat loneliness among teenagers and young adults, by enabling them to meet new people online and make friends.” 

London-based 20-year-old Angelica (Angel) and 21-year-old Mjay met in January 2021 during a Yubo livestream where they bonded over shared political views. They now count each other as best friends, streaming together every day despite never having met in person.

“For me, I always felt like there was a stigma attached to meeting people online… I was very wary until I met Angel, but meeting her has opened my eyes to making friendships online and I felt safe communicating and streaming on Yubo,” explains Mjay. “I never thought I would make a friend during lockdown but Angel is one of my closest friends, I'm so much more open to making friendships online now I have had such a good experience.”

In Australia, 20-year-old Sarah joined Yubo in July 2020 as she wanted to make more friends and speak to more fellow Aussies during lockdown. During this time, Sarah virtually met her now good friend Paisley and hopes they will meet face to face at the end of this year.

As Sarah says, “Living in a regional town in NSW can be isolating, so it has been incredible to find a digital community where everyone can feel connected and form genuine friendships regardless of where they are in the world. I’m hoping to move to Queensland later this year, and Paisley and I are counting down the days until we can finally meet in person.”

20-year-old Samuel de Souza (Sam), 16-year-old Enzo Silenzi (Schonungen) and 19-year-old Thiago Hensel (Thiago) met in February 2019 during a livestream and instantly bonded over their shared visions of the future.

“They are friends that I will take with me for life. And from that, I consider them as my family,” comments Thiago. “The three of us are young and gay, we have moved in a lot of country, outside Brazil and we cannot create easily a strong bond. And Yubo ends up becoming a way to create this bond. Our bond is going to be there forever.”

Finally, Federico and Paul-Antoine show us that friendship can be international. From Monaco and France respectively, they are part of a group of around 10 friends who spend all their evenings together on the app. 

"We met people on the app who have now become our close friends. We create sincere friendships, because we can talk about everything: our days, our classes, our problems... It's the perfect application to create links with people, and to meet incredible people. We talk to each other every day, there is a real bond of trust between us,” explains Federico. "We also have a lot of fun imagining new game concepts: recently we did a livestream in which we reproduced famous choreographies, with an average of 100 people at each livestream.” 

When we read these kinds of comments, we’re struck by the power of Yubo and touched that it is having such a positive impact on young people’s lives at such a challenging time. As we come out of the pandemic, we’ll be here to help Gen Z stay connected – in a safe space, free of pressure. 

You’ve probably noticed that our website and app look a little different. 

One of the goals of our new brand campaign is to spread the word about how we’d like young people’s online interactions to change so that they focus on friends, not followers. Keep an eye out for our online, print and outdoor ads in the UK, US and Australia! 

We like to go against the grain here at Yubo. Unlike many other social media companies, we’ve built a platform without influencers, followers or likes.

Friends Not Followers

Friends not Followers

~  Bye bye Valentine’s Day pressures and traditions, why not committing to yourself this year instead? Gen Z is changing the rules and building on self-love ~ 

Whilst this time of year tends to shine a spotlight on romantic relationships, at Yubo we believe that the most important relationship you have is the one you share with yourself. This month, we decided to invite some inspiring and strong young people to reflect on self-love by opening up about issues they’ve had to overcome to be their most authentic selves today. 

We surveyed over 35,000 of our 13-25 year-old users all over the world to better understand how they value their relationship with themselves, rather than with a partner. Turns out over a fifth (33% in the US and 21% in the UK) referenced the former as the “the most important” vs. 16.5% citing a romantic partner, coming last behind their relationship with their family (24% in the US) or friends (29% in the UK). 

Despite this, half (51%) of Gen Zers still feel there is a societal pressure to be in a relationship on Valentine’s day. And, where is this pressure coming from? 

Doing it for the ‘gram: Overwhelmingly, half (50%) of teens and young adults said they felt the most pressure to be loved up on Valentine’s Day from traditional social media 

Me, Myself and I: A fifth (21%) said the pressure is actually coming from within themselves 

Television Romance: 17% of Gen Zers said TV shows, movies and music are fuelling the romantic pressure around Valentine's day

Although Gen Z prioritises the relationship with themselves over a romantic relationship, we revealed that over two-fifths (43%) of Gen Z say that loving themselves is ‘still a work in progress. However, young people are taking necessary steps to love themselves by spending more time on self-care at least a few times a week, with more than 20% actually carving out time for it even daily. 

A guide to Gen Z Self-care - Speak, Sleep, Work Out, Hydrate, Repeat

The most popular forms of self-care for Gen Z is working out (coming first in the UK with 36.5%), getting more sleep (with an overwhelming success in the US with 47,7%) and speaking to or spending time with friends and family (coming first in Australia with more than 38%). This is closely followed by drinking more water and shopping. 

In light of the findings, Yubo knows facilitating young people in learning to love themselves is more important than ever before, especially as lockdowns have negatively affected the mental health of those aged between 13-24 severely. A survey conducted on our users revealed more than 60% of British and American teens felt depressed because of the pandemic. 

In order to help them boost their self-compassion this Valentine's day, Dr Richard Graham, Consultant Psychiatrist, Clinical Director of Good Thinking and member of the Yubo safety board, has revealed his top tips to help us all learn how to treat ourselves with more kindness: 

Comfort your body. Try to eat something healthy. Lie down and get some rest. Perhaps massage your own neck, feet, or hands or even take a walk. Remember the things that improve how you feel physically and try them again.

Give yourself encouragement. Think of what you would say to a good friend if he or she was facing a difficult or stressful situation. Then say those same words to yourself to boost your confidence and motivation. 

Make time for some breathing space. Make time for some breathing space. When everything seems uncertain or overwhelming, take a break. Take note of your feelings, but then also focus on your body senses; feel the ground beneath your feet. This will refresh you and help you engage with what you need to.

Put it into print. When you are feeling more relaxed, write down or print off a list of your achievements, or your good qualities and keep it somewhere safe. If you start to doubt yourself, read those words again and respect the person who wrote them.

Address the Problem: Get to the root of what is bothering you first and foremost so you can figure out how to navigate the problem. From there, you can identify what you need to feel better about the situation and ultimately practice self-love. 

Embracing your true self online: giving a voice to our community

In addition to the poll, we also had the chance to speak with some of our amazing users that have learned to love and embrace who they are over time and with the support of friends on Yubo :

Zach (@queenzach2019 on Yubo) a 19-year-old from suburban Pennsylvania: “Yubo has served as a powerful vessel for me, a place I have been able to connect with friends that only a few months ago they had not even known yet. While self-love hasn’t always been easy for me, and still is something I work on daily, Yubo has been a safe space for me to be myself in the truest form of the word.” 

Mikaylah (@kaykaymid) from Long Island, NY: “As a student in my first year at college during a pandemic in NYC, it’s hard to meet new people. Even though I’m on the dance team, making friends during lockdowns hasn’t been easy on campus. Yubo has made my friend pool that much wider, where we can talk about body positivity, self-care and self-love, and anything else that’s on our minds.”

Whilst this time of year tends to shine a spotlight on romantic relationships, at Yubo we believe that the most important relationship you have is the one you share with yourself.

Thank you, Next

Thank You, Next

2020 has shone a spotlight on many inequalities in our society and we have seen a renewed interest in politics and social justice among young people. From climate change (#FridaysForFuture) to systemic racism (#BlackLivesMatter), from COVID-19 (#StayHome) to sexual violence (#MeToo), social media provides a vital platform for teens and others to focus on the issues that matter to them.

In the midst of a global pandemic, the US election captured many young people’s attention. Described by one media outlet as “the revenge of the millennials”, young voters were a decisive factor in the election result. Figures from NBC suggest that 65% of 18 to 24-year-olds voted for Joe Biden – significantly more than any other age group.

We certainly saw the US election gain traction on Yubo. Over the last six months, there were more than 150,000 live streams on the topic and, around election day (3-4 November), the Yubo community was discussing Trump vs Biden in more than 15,000 live streams.

During election week, we ran a poll of more than 14,000 Yubo members under the age of 18 in the US. More than half (59%) of the respondents said they were “very invested” in the election and 82% had watched at least one of the presidential debates. When we asked “What topic was most important for you in the 2020 election?”, ‘social justice’ was the most popular answer (57%) – streets ahead of ‘economics’ (8%), ‘environment’ (7%) and ‘education’ (3%).  

There are lots of examples in American history of young people driving social change, including the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. With so many economic and social issues currently affecting the younger generation, it’s perhaps no surprise that youth voter turnout in the 2020 US election was much higher than four years ago. Strikingly, 93% of the under-18 Yubo users we surveyed said they would have voted if they had been allowed to. 

Inspired by young activists, such as Greta Thunberg, Ja’Mal Green and Malala Yousafzai, children and teens are increasingly urging politicians and other decision-makers to help them change the world. As Deloitte’s Global Millennial Survey notes, young people are “... deeply affected by the pandemic but seem able to see opportunity in the darkness, viewing this crisis as an opportunity to reset and drive the change they want to see. Millennials and Gen Zs aren’t just hoping for a better world to emerge after the COVID-19 pandemic releases its grip on society — they want to lead the change.”

For younger members of the Yubo community, we offer a safe space where they can meet new people and hang out. As our usage stats show, many young people are choosing to debate the issues of the day in our live rooms. With more than half of the respondents in our recent poll citing ‘social justice’ as the most important topic when electing a new President of the United States, technology continues to play a vital role in connecting them to one another and helping them to have their voices heard. We are proud to support this go-getting, change-inspiring, put-others-first generation.

Find out how we’re supporting the Yubo community when it comes to equality, mental health and online safety.

2020 has shone a spotlight on many inequalities in our society and we have seen a renewed interest in politics and social justice among young people. We certainly saw the US election gain traction on Yubo. Over the last six months, there were more than 150,000 live streams on the topic and, around election day, the Yubo community was discussing Trump vs Biden in more than 15,000 live streams.

Social Justice and Social Media

Social justice and Social Media

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been hard on everyone. For young people, in particular, it could have a long-lasting impact on their mental health and well-being. Missing school and exams, not being able to see friends, losing jobs and apprenticeships... Many teenagers and young adults have had their lives turned upside down. 

By April 2020, more than 1.5 billion young people around the world were staying at home as part of lockdowns and the situation has been described by youth organisations as “an eerie world, full of uncertainty”. In a recent UK study, almost half (42%) of 16 to 29-year-olds said the COVID-19 lockdown was having a negative impact on their mental health and, in the US, young people reported being bored (52%), worried (49%) and scared (34%). All this at a time when they would normally be developing their social skills, connecting and socialising with others and building a sense of identity.

“There has been a huge disruption to daily routines,” comments Dr Richard Graham, Consultant Psychiatrist, Clinical Director of Good Thinking and member of the Yubo safety board. “Many of the anchors that support young people’s mental health, like school, friends and exercise, have been removed and this has created a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety.” 

As lockdowns are eased around the world, the concerns don’t go away. Young people continue to be worried about their health (Might I or someone I know get sick?), their education (When will I go back to school/college and how will the disruption to exams affect my grades?), their finances (What if I lose my job or can’t get a job?) and their future (Will I be able to travel, work, socialise and have the kind of life I want?). So, how have members of the Yubo community supported each other in recent months and how has the Yubo team helped?

As Maslow’s hierarchy of needs shows, human beings have social needs, such as acceptance and belonging. With physical distancing in place, many young people have found that online communities are helping them to get through the COVID-19 pandemic. Research shows that connecting with family and friends online and going on social media are popular coping strategies. 

As one Forbes journalist put it, “... in order to socialize, entertain themselves, or even plainly put, kill time, many [teenagers] have turned to their good old friend: their smartphone.” We have certainly seen this at Yubo. In 2020, we have doubled our daily active users and the time our users spend in live streams has increased by more than 350%. 

Digital spaces were already deeply embedded in young people’s lives and are often used to support their health and well-being. Health and technology advisor Susannah Fox notes that many young people go online for peer support on health issues, for example. She describes this as having a “just-in-time-someone-like-you”. COVID-19 has amplified the need for human connection and trusted relationships and, if you can’t get these face-to-face, online is a great alternative.

“Over the last few months, young people seem to have been looking for meaningful interactions on social media rather than just passive scrolling or superficial rewards such as ‘likes’,” says Dr Graham. “Live streams allow you to be yourself and share your thoughts with a small group of friends, rather than posting filtered images for thousands of people to see. They are a less pressured and more authentic way of communicating.”

With screen time increasing, however, so too might some of the risks. As well as being concerned that the online/offline balance might have become skewed, young people and their families might have to deal with fake news, misinformation, online bullying and sexual exploitation. That’s why we continue to support younger members of the Yubo community with safety advice and innovative tools, such as age checks, pop-up alerts and real-time interventions. 

Recognising the potential impact of COVID-19 on our users’ mental health, we recently partnered with NHS-approved digital mental well-being service Good Thinking to raise awareness of support resources available in the UK. To mark Mental Health Awareness Week and help the Yubo community fight anxiety and stress during lockdown, we created this in-App campaign, which has had more than 300 000 views.

“Our focus at Good Thinking is on encouraging good self-care. We offer tips, expert advice and NHS-approved apps to help reduce stress, anxiety and low mood and improve sleep,” explains Dr Graham. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have created an advice hub that includes tips to help young people and their families deal with any concerns they have and become more resilient.” 

COVID-19 has emphasised the many benefits of digital technology – for example, an article in The Lancet notes that social media might help to make up for some negative effects of social distancing among young people – but the pandemic has also highlighted there are limitations. Could fake news and unhealthy opinions go unchallenged in online chats? When a live stream comes to an end, might the participants feel lonely? 

As a responsible platform, we need to be aware of the mental health challenges our users might face and help them to deal with them. “The Yubo x Good Thinking video is a great example of how you can nudge your audience to take action,” comments Dr Graham. “It caught Yubo users’ attention while they interacted with the app, reminding them that they should focus on their wellbeing at this difficult time and reassuring them that support is available.” 

The video provided a template for other campaigns on issues that matter to our community, such as Pride Month. With so much uncertainty in young people’s lives right now, our strategy here at Yubo remains the same: protect, support, and educate.

Read Good Thinking’s advice about five ways to good mental well-being and listen to the Good Thinking podcasts about online communities, healthy screen/life balance and how to thrive in our digital present and future.

Useful websites to support your mental health:

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been hard on everyone. Yubo is committed to supporting its users through this difficult time by sharing several resources to maintain a good mental health.

Maintaining a Good Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Maintaining Good Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Who am I? Where do I fit in? Who do I want to be? We all ask ourselves these questions. During adolescence, young people start to explore, experiment and figure out who they are. Shaped by family, environment, culture, education and other factors, they face complex choices and challenges in their quest for identity and independence.

In recent weeks, the issue of identity has been high on the news agenda. After the tragic death of George Floyd, many people have been speaking out against racism and taking part in the #BlackLivesMatter protests. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has also shone a spotlight on inequalities – for example, UK studies have found significantly higher mortality rates among ethnic minorities.

When research firm Ypulse asked teenagers and young adults in the US ‘What is the biggest problem your generation faces right now?’ The answer was: racism and discrimination. Our own poll of Yubo users in the US (14 June 2020) revealed that 88% feel that Black Americans are treated differently to others. 86% of respondents think that peaceful protests/political demonstrations are necessary to create a significant change and 77% have posted on social media to support equality for Black Americans.

Pride Month, which celebrated LGBTQ+ communities all over the world in June, has also reminded everyone of the importance of equality and tolerance. Here at Yubo, we partnered with three organisations – Switchboard in the UK, The Trevor Project in the US and Le Refuge in France – to support Pride and promote diversity. You can find out more about these partnerships in this video.

“Together, we have worked on a campaign that aims to promote acceptance and affirmation of one’s identity,” explains Natasha Walker, Co-Chair at Switchboard. “Thought-provoking messages such as ‘Am I the only one who feels like this?’, ‘I feel trapped in my body’ and ‘If this is who I am, why do I feel ashamed?’ were sent to Yubo’s teenage users in the UK, in a bid to encourage those who are struggling with their gender identity and sexuality to telephone the helpline for support.”

Yubo partners with LGBT+ helplines for Pride Month

The digital world has become a fundamental part of young people’s identity over the last decade – a space in which they can discover who they are and grow as a person. Indeed, more than a third (38%) of respondents to a survey by the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) said they find it easier to be themselves online.

As psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos notes in this video, young people increasingly “crowdsource” their identity online. “Social media, as well as being a way of communicating and connecting, is also a way of gauging what people think about you,” she says. “So, a lot of times, posts are about seeing how accepted you are, how valued you are, where you fit in. Your behaviour online begins to be shaped by the responses that you get.”

Of course, you might get a really positive response. As this article in Pink News shows, Yubo can offer a vital support system. 18-year-old Thee Amir live-streams make-up tutorials on the app and describes joining our community as “life-changing” because of the support he has received from other LGBTQ+ young people.

With almost 30 million users, we have a responsibility to help younger members of the Yubo community to develop a positive identity. The recent UKSIC survey found that a quarter (25%) of 13 to 17-year-olds had been bullied or attacked online because of their sexuality, race, religion, disability or gender identity. We have zero tolerance for bullying and discrimination – we provide industry-leading safety tools and take action against reports of racism, homophobia and other online hate on our platform.

As the BLM protests continue and Pride Month comes to a close, we’re more determined than ever to make Yubo a positive, diverse and compassionate community. That includes supporting young people as they develop their identity and increase their self-esteem. As the famous quote goes, “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken”.

Yubo’s tips for promoting positive identity online

Be proud of who you are – don’t pretend to be something you’re not or filter out any aspects of your life. 

Be kind to others – nasty comments can be extremely hurtful and might even be illegal so always think before you post. 

Be vigilant – if you or someone else experiences discrimination or harassment on Yubo, report it to us immediately so we can take action.

Who am I? Where do I fit in? Who do I want to be? We all ask ourselves these questions. During adolescence, young people start to explore, experiment and figure out who they are. Yubo gives them a voice and a safe environment to discover themselves and the world.

Let’s talk identity

Let’s Talk Identity

How we’re empowering young people to value and protect their personal information on Yubo

For many years, children and teenagers have been told to ‘think before you post. But, in a world where our online and offline lives are more blurred than ever and we’re all a lot more relaxed about sharing our personal information, is this still a realistic message?

“It’s more important than ever to be careful about what you share in your digital spaces,” says Annie Mullins OBE, who advises us on safety issues at Yubo. “It can be very easy to get caught up in a conversation with someone on social media and think it’s OK to tell them where you live, where you go to college, your phone number or your email address.” 

“Our advice for young people is to put the brakes on and take a moment before sharing this kind of personal information with someone you’ve only chatted to a few times online,” she adds. “It’s often best to err on the side of caution and keep certain personal details to yourself.”

Here at Yubo, we’re committed to helping our users have the best possible experience on the app. That’s why we’ve started asking young people if they are sure they want to share their personal details. We’ve recently introduced a feature in private chat that triggers a pop-up when someone types in a phrase such as ‘I live in London’ and then gives them the opportunity to change their mind about posting it.

Of course, many young people are aware that their data is valuable but, when they feel like they’re talking to someone they trust, they sometimes forget that it could be misused. Even broad information, such as the name of your city or town, could be used to find out your address, places you hang out and who your friends and family are. If you have public profiles on lots of social networks, your digital footprint could provide strangers with valuable information that could be used to coerce you into doing something you don’t want to do.

Still in the early stages, our new pop-up feature is already showing great results: we send around 20,000 pop-ups every day and 12% of our users who see these alerts decide not to send their personal information. The tool uses an algorithm to further enhance our portfolio of innovative safety tools. For example, we also use AI to conduct age checks and we intervene in real-time during live streams when we think someone could be putting themselves or others in danger.

“We try to strike the right balance between encouraging participation and providing protection for the many young people in our community,” says our COO Marc-Antoine Durand. “This new pop-up is a great example of how we help teens to make smart choices. This is about encouraging them to be more cautious and to take control of their digital footprint.”

As we enter the new decade, we’re seeing a greater focus across industry on putting safety at the heart of app and website development and empowering users to better manage their online experience. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has recently introduced a ‘Safety by Design’ initiative, for example. With more than 25 million members all over the world, we will continue to focus on making Yubo a safe space for young people to make new friends – in 2020 and beyond.

Visit the Yubo Safety Center for more information and advice.

Here at Yubo, we’re committed to helping our users have the best possible experience on the app. That’s why we’ve started asking young people if they are sure they want to share their personal details. Yubo's recently introduced a feature in private chat that triggers a pop-up when someone types in a phrase such as ‘I live in London’ and then gives them the opportunity to change their mind about posting it.

Think Before You Send

Real-time intervention on social video: Yubo takes the lead to reduce risks to young people

Here at Yubo, we’re always looking for ways to innovate in online safety. In our previous blog, we explained how we take our responsibility to younger Yubo users very seriously. Since then, we’ve continued working with online safety expert Annie Mullins OBE to put a number of safeguards in place on the app and we’ve recently taken an important step forward by introducing real-time intervention in live streams.

Using a combination of algorithms and human moderators, we monitor activity on Yubo so we can identify users who violate our community guidelines and who could put themselves or others in danger while live streaming. We then take immediate action, sending a message to the user explaining how they have crossed the line, how to change their behavior and what action we’ll take if they don’t comply. Our options include temporarily disabling the live stream and suspending their account.

Yubo is the only social video app to intervene in this way to help keep teens safer. Yes, it’s a bold move. Yes, some young people are surprised when they receive a warning message from us. But we believe the most important thing is to support and protect our users and make the Yubo community an even better place to be.

In this blog, we take a closer look at live intervention and explore how it promotes behavioral change by encouraging Yubo users to stay safer and be more responsible as well as helping to reduce the risk of sexual exploitation and other issues. We also talk to one of our most experienced moderators and find out how our teenage users respond to his messages about inappropriate behavior or unsuitable content they have posted.

“We know there’s more that social networks can do and some sites like Yubo already have good practice on live streaming.” Andy Burrows, Associate Head of Child Safety Online, NSPCC (2018)

Just as teenagers might experiment and test boundaries in real life, the same happens in the digital world. Online, young people might have already seen inappropriate behavior or content and aren’t always sure what’s acceptable. Whether it’s filming themselves in their underwear or making nasty comments about someone, it’s important that they understand and reflect upon the consequences their behavior could have for them and others. Furthermore, as a company, we must be able to take action when we see inappropriate or illegal behavior and content within live streams on Yubo (which we call Lives).

Our community guidelines are essential in setting standards for user behavior — our users have to agree to abide by them and we always refer to them when intervening in live streams. We make it very clear in these guidelines that we have zero tolerance for nudity and posing in underwear in Lives, for example.

If these guidelines aren’t followed, it’s our policy to engage and educate our younger users rather than punish them. That means using opportunities when rules have been broken to help them understand and think about what they have done wrong and nudge them to change their behavior in that moment and in the future. We’re already seeing the positive impact of real-time in-app warnings and our approach has been welcomed by law enforcement, charities and other online safety advocates.

As our online safety advisor Annie Mullins OBE says,

“I’ve worked with Yubo putting live interventions in place to help prevent its users from putting themselves at risk. This is an important step change in the child online safety arena and one that other social media companies should consider following. The more real-time interventions with young people that take place, the more we’ll be able to support and educate them. Young people make mistakes — that’s part of growing up — but it’s important that social media providers offer safety nets for them and nudge them in the right direction when their behavior could put them at risk.”

Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr Richard Graham adds,

“The future of the digital world now rests upon how willing we are to use behavioral insights to stop the bad from spoiling the good. Yubo is leading the way with live intervention, and there is no better way to learn than in the moment.”

Our global team of moderators deal with a variety of situations in live streams, including young people posing in their underwear, taking their clothes off, harassing other users and threatening to self-harm.

We asked one of our moderators, Tom*, to explain why it’s so important to intervene in Lives.

“The content is being broadcast live online so it makes sense that we intervene immediately before any damage is done. The faster we get involved, the better,” he says.

Despite receiving a popup about our community guidelines when they enter live streams on Yubo and knowing that Lives can be seen by anyone (not just their friends), some users still choose to push the limits.

So, why do young people behave this way online? There are a number of motivations — some do it to show off or flirt, others because they see their idols and other celebrities acting a certain way or because someone is encouraging them or putting them under pressure to do it.

“It’s often about getting attention, which they might not get in real life,” comments Tom. “Going live is a good way of reaching lots of people and getting lots of views. The guys who go shirtless want to show off their muscles, for example.”

The potential risks of live streaming include being bullied, being coerced into sexually explicit activity and being contacted by strangers with ill intent.

Tom explains how younger users often become so immersed in the app, they don’t think about what they are doing.

“People often get caught up with being ‘in the moment’ and don’t understand the immediate risks or that the content might not go away after the Live. If they video themselves in their underwear, someone could capture that, publish it somewhere else and use it against them,” he points out.

If a Yubo moderator sees something happening that violates our community guidelines and could put someone at risk, they send a warning message to the user. The message might say that the Live will be shut down in one minute or it might warn the user that they will be suspended from the app if they don’t change their behavior.

We’re the only social video app to do this as we think it’s important that our younger users understand what the problem is and that we encourage them to change what they’re doing. After all, the best way to learn is in the moment and through real-life experience.

We then take the appropriate action, which might include removing the content, suspending or closing down the user’s account and reporting potentially illegal activity to the police and other authorities, such as the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). It’s our aim to help users change their behavior before it gets to that point but, in the end, we’ll do what is right for them and other users.

“Sadly, one of the things we come across is young people who are self-harming or suicidal,” says Tom. “Even if the people watching the Live try to help, they aren’t trained professionals and could unintentionally make the situation worse. Seeing someone talking about self-harming could also trigger similar feelings in other users.”

We don’t allow self-harm content to remain on Yubo and we explain to our younger users why this is the case. Live intervention means we can help someone in that crucial moment and direct them to support organisations.

“I will venture to say that… this app is shaping up to be a leader in live-streamed video safety.”Anne Collier, NetFamilyNews (August 2017)

On the whole, Yubo users respond positively to real-time intervention. They aren’t used to other apps communicating in this way but they generally receive the notifications well and comply with our requests. If someone receives a warning as they are getting undressed on camera, for example, they usually stop as soon as they see the message and put their clothes back on.

Tom notes that users often thank him for intervening as it means they don’t have to deal with a difficult situation themselves. If they are feeling under pressure to behave a certain way online, it’s good that they know we’re there to keep an eye on things and help them to manage those expectations.

Many of our younger users tell their friends about our rules and how the Yubo moderators are there to help — a clear sign that although young people like to be independent, they still need support. Indeed, educating one teenager can have a powerful network effect. We’ve received lots of positive comments about live intervention from our younger users, including “I think it’s useful, just keeps the community safer and cleaner I guess” and “It’s a really good idea, it gives people a chance to change their behavior and if not then they face the consequences.”

With research by Childnet revealing that more than one in 10 eight to 17-year-olds have ‘gone live’, live streaming is here to stay. We believe real-time intervention is a vital tool in helping young people have a safer experience on social video apps.

In Anne Collier’s words, it’s important to build a digital community of “guided practice” — one where young people can be confident, happy, respectful and safe. With our vision to be a leader in online safety, we’ll continue to develop innovative safety features for Yubo so we can do exactly that.

“I applaud Yubo for extensively reworking its safety features to make its platform safer for teens.” Julie Inman Grant, Australian eSafety Commissioner (March 2018)

Yubo has a minimum age limit of 13 and users must provide their real details, including their mobile number. We use technology and moderators to identify underage profiles and block them.

Yubo users can set their own preferences, including whether to show their location and deciding who they talk to.

Every user must agree to abide by our community guidelines, which include rules about bullying, nudity, fake profiles and other inappropriate or illegal behavior.

We use innovative technology and human moderators to check what’s happening on Yubo and take action if we see our rules being broken.

It’s easy to report any problems or concerns to us, via the flag icon in the app or on our Safety Centre. We aim to respond to reports within 24 hours and prioritize emergencies.

Here at Yubo, we’re always looking for ways to innovate in online safety. Yubo has recently taken an important step forward by introducing real-time intervention in live streams. Using a combination of algorithms and human moderators, we monitor activity on Yubo so we can identify users who violate our community guidelines and who could put themselves or others in danger while live streaming.

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