Lipsi is an feedback app where students can accept anonymous comments from others. Anonymous apps like the Lipsi app are not safe for students and don’t help them build a positive digital footprint. We’ve seen similar apps like Yik Yak, Sarahah, and After School removed from the Apple App Store due to cyberbullying.
Parent & educator training video
What is the Lipsi app?
- Lipsi is an anonymous feedback app where students can accept anonymous feedback from others
- Users create their Lipsi link and add it to their Instagram or Snapchat profiles
- Users can send a message anonymously and reveal their identity later
- If one user deletes a conversation with someone, it will delete the messages on both users devices and reset them to anonymous (if they shared their identity)
- Although the app is relatively new at the time of this review, it is in the top 75 free apps in the Apple App store
- The app warns that it will reveal your identity in cases of abusive, threatening, or racist comments
- Upon signing up, Lipsi says it may gather your email, gender, date of birth, sexual preference, nationality, photographs, location, and social media accounts you link to
Why should parents care?
- Anonymous apps like the Lipsi app can become breeding grounds for bullying behavior
- Some students feel like they can hide behind being anonymous (and behave in a negative manner to others)
- Anonymous apps don’t help a student make more friends
- Anonymous apps bring out bad behavior and they lend themselves to bullying and depression/anxiety
- Students should focus on social media platforms that have a positive impact on their online presence
- Users can quickly erase their chat history which can encourage risky behavior
- Lipsi requires users to be 18 or older but it’s easy for students younger than 18 to bypass the age requirement
Lipsi in the News:
Apps similar to Lipsi:
- Yik Yak (removed from the Apple App and Google Play stores in 2017 for cyberbullying)
- Sarahah (removed from the Apple App and Google Play stores in 2018 for cyberbullying)
- After School (removed twice)
- Whisper
- Ask.fm
- TBH
The danger of anonymous apps:
- Sarahah is not the first anonymous messaging app to be linked to online bullying. The Secret app shut down after criticism in 2015, and Ask.fm was linked to several teen suicides in 2013
- The anonymous app Yik Yak earned attention, and school-wide bans, from college campus officials when it was used to make threats and became a hotbed for abuse and harassment
- Anonymity is seen as a facilitating factor in encouraging the spread of harassment online
- 81% of young people think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person
Sources:BBC News, The Verge, Pew Research Center, and DoSomething.org
What parents says about the Lipsi app:
One day a teen will commit suicide because of this app!
Lipsi is the path to bullying.
So, kids think that since it is anonymous, they can say whatever the heck they want.
Source:Common Sense Media
What can parents do?
- If your student has the Lipsi app, delete it immediately and discuss the dangers of using the app
- When you’re ready for your student to be on social media, use the apps in the Green Zone on our Parent App Guide page to help them build a positive digital footprint
- Remind your children that anonymous apps are never truly anonymous. Content they share through the Lipsi app can be screenshot by others or shared across other platforms
- Teach your children to never post something online that they wouldn’t want a college admissions officer or future employer to see – even under an anonymous username
- Monitor your children online by being on the apps they use
Next Steps:
- Search for your student (or yourself) on Google
- Use your Instagram as a portfolio
- Join Smart Social Week to keep your kids safe online (and positive in the future)
- Take more positive group photos and share on social (or your new site)
- Schools: Request 500 passes to Smart Social Membership
Conclusion
Anonymous apps like the Lipsi app are not safe for students and don’t help them build a positive digital footprint. We’ve seen similar apps like Yik Yak, Sarahah, and After School removed from the Apple App Store due to cyberbullying. It’s best for students to stay away from anonymous apps. Instead, students should focus on positive social media apps which can help them build a digital resume to impress colleges and future employers. Social media apps that can positively add to your student’s digital footprint can be found in our Green Zone. Have regular discussions with your children about social media safety and explain why anonymous apps can be dangerous.
How do you protect your students from anonymous social media apps? Let us know in the comments below!
