Zift Advisory
Monkey is a video chat app that pairs strangers from across the world for a brief video call. If users wish to continue their conversation, they can either add time to their call or connect via Snapchat. Users must be ages 17 years and older to download this free app. Monkey doesn't have any advertisements but does feature in-app purchases.
What is Monkey?
Monkey works by pairing random strangers via video chat, giving users 15 seconds to decide whether they want to add additional talk time or skip to the next match. And while the concept is fun in theory, and the app was originally developed by two teens for other teens, the app is overrun with adults and teens engaging in crude behavior and foul language.
Monkey provides no content filtering or screening, which would be difficult to do, given the nature of live video streaming. While an added age verification tool could possibly help screen users, there is no such option, which means the app is rife with adult males posing as teen girls.
And while there is no content screening, there is, the ability for users to report inappropriate behavior by users, simply by tapping the policeman emoji in the upper right hand corner of the screen during a chat.
Is Monkey safe for my kids?
Parents need to know that the Monkey app is not appropriate for children, not only because it pairs kids with strangers across the globe for video calls, but because of the sheer number of adults (posing as children) on the platform, and the inappropriate behavior exhibited by many Monkey users.
Racial slurs and negative comments about appearance abound and it’s not uncommon for users to be met with someone masturbating or in various states of undress. Parents, this app is not safe for kids
Perhaps even scarier than children being paired with strangers for video chats, and subject to whatever content comes across the screen in the live stream, is the fact that the Monkey app is integrated with Snapchat.
While users are in a Monkey chat with someone they find interesting, or wish to continue talking to (but not pay for additional talk time), they can tap the Friend icon at the bottom of the screen, and become connected with that person through Snapchat.
Parents should also be aware that the Monkey app’s terms give them outright ownership of any content shared in the app, which means that videos or stills of a minor may be used for other purposes. And while stills and video would most likely be used for marketing, it’s a slippery slope when someone relinquishes rights to their own content and image.
Parents may want to think twice about allowing their child to use the Monkey app, because there are frequent incidents of cyberbullying, hate speech, profanities, sexting and other harmful content.
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