Zift Advisory
Badoo Premium is a social networking app, meant to connect users ages 17 years and older in similar locales, often who’ve crossed paths but never met. This app is available to download for $2.99, though despite it being a premium version, Badoo Premium still serves advertisements and offers in-app purchases, ranging in price from $1.10 to $239.99.
What is Badoo Premium?
Despite being a paid app, consumerism is high and is pushed throughout the Badoo Premium app while navigating; in fact, the only additional benefit users receive for paying $2.99 is to have their “Super Powers” boosted for one week, which means their profile receive more exposure on the platform.
Come across someone that’s not a match but looks interesting? Badoo Premium requires credits to initiate a conversation. If a user wishes to initiate a conversation with a top-rated user, they must pay to send a message.
Badoo Premium does, however, offer other avenues of acquiring credits, which come in the form of advertisers. Users may earn credits for taking surveys or downloading apps through the site.
Is Badoo Premium safe for my kids?
Parents should be aware that Badoo Premium, despite its developers saying otherwise, is a photo-based dating site that feeds into the selfie culture. And despite Badoo Premium developers’ claims that it is a social network for making real life connections with people nearby, the reality is that some users are there to scout hookups.
This app is intended for users 17 years of age and older and is not safe for kids.
Like dating app Tinder, Badoo Premium relies on location data to serve matches to members, and also features a similar swipe feature. The Badoo Premium app utilizes profile verification to ensure members are real people, which potentially cuts down on the number of scam profiles.
While Badoo Premium is said to make location-based matches, many users report being matched with people hundreds of miles away, rendering those matches useless for those looking to meet people nearby. Using location data, Badoo Premium shows when and where a user may have crossed paths with another user in real life, which is problematic, when thinking about minors using this app.
For those parents who are okay with their child using Badoo Premium, there is some comfort in the fact that Badoo Premium uses profile verification to vet users, and also allows users to filter out matches to only show those users who have verified that they are real people.
Badoo Premium verifies users with a photo, Facebook profile or a phone call. From there, they suggest that users always ask for a live selfie when they begin chatting with other users, verified or not.
Despite the verification process Badoo Premium has in place, users have reported seeing a large number of underage users on the platform, some even as young as 12 years old. If a user finds something suspect about a profile, they are encouraged to use the “Report Abuse” feature, which alerts Badoo Premium’s moderation team to investigate.
Parents should be concerned about Badoo Premium’s emphasis on looks, via its photo-based platform, in addition to the fact that it is a location-based network.
App Screens
Recommended for You
9 Screen Time Rules Every Family Needs
Screen Time Strategies
Stop Guessing About Screen Time for Kids – Use This Chart
Screen Time Strategies