commonsensemedia

Published 29.01.2015 20:01

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Skout

Skout gallery

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Skout is a flirting app used to meet and chat with new people. Based on the age entered at registration, teens and adults are assigned to different groups, but ages aren't verified. Once teens turn 18, they're automatically moved into the adult group, but it's easy to enter a false birthday at registration and pose as either an adult or a teen. In 2012, the teen app was briefly suspended to tighten safety protocols. As a result, a teen's exact location isn't revealed, only a general region, and posts are now more closely monitored. Also, teens can't send pictures in private messages. They can earn points for using the app and responding to ads. Then they can redeem points to reveal the profiles of users who've "checked" them out or to access users in other geographic areas. Posts include plenty of profanity and suggestive pictures.