Shropshire colleges ban 'poison pen' app Yik Yak

Yik Yak is the latest up-and-coming social media app which is increasing in popularity among Shropshire teenagers. It allows users within a five mile radius to write anonymous posts, which are then voted up or down by users.

The creators of the app say their mission is to let people connect and make friends with people in their area – but many young people have reported a darker side to the app, as it has been used by some people to insult and slur their peers.

Yik Yak has made moves to nullify the potential for bullying, including by allowing schools to put up virtual fences to prevent pupils using them on school grounds.

It also has safeguards in place to prevent the app being used by under-18s.

It specifically asks that under-18s do not sign up and provide personal information, and says that when it finds out about underage users, it takes steps to remove their details from its system.

Yik Yak's makers have also produced articles on its home website urging people not to use the app for the wrong purposes.

Hilary McQuaide, a spokeswoman for Yik Yak, said: "Yik Yak is intended for users age 18 and over, and we've proactively geofenced primary and secondary school campuses so the app can't be used there.

"If a school thinks there should be a correction to one of these geofences, this can be easily requested on our support page.

The people behind the app also urge people not to share information if they do not want it to find its way into the public domain, as even though it does not identify its users, the information people share could be used to discern their identity.

North Shropshire College (NSC) and Shrewsbury College have taken steps to create a geofence – a virtual barrier to prevent the use of the app on their campuses.

Danielle Burgoyne, a 23-year-old paediatric staff nurse from Oswestry, was horrified to be told by her 18-year-old brother that her name had appeared on the app.

She said: "This app is terrible, it's an evil breeding ground for discrimination and thankfully I'm at an age where I can deal with it better than, say, a 16-year-old girl could.

"As someone who works with children and young people I have seen the effects of cyber bullying and body shaming, it's real and it's out there.

"Your mind is so delicate in your teenage years and shouldn't be for anyone to hurt or damage. Body image is something I have faced difficulty with over the years and for someone unknown to air their opinion of you online is just disgusting and can be very damaging.

"I've seen first hand the consequences of this sort of bullying, self-harming, attempted suicide, so I'm speaking out because if I can change the actions of at least one young person I'll be happy."

An 18-year-old from Oswestry – who wishes to remain anonymous for fear she will become a target of the abuse – has also spoken of the lasting repercussions the app could have on people's lives.

She said: "People may think it's funny and a laugh, but I've seen people ripped apart for their insecurities constantly and nobody is doing anything about it.

"Some of my friends have been mentioned on it, to be honest all the posts on there are mentioning someone's name. People aren't worried or concerned with the possible outcomes of the hurtful things they say.

"Some of the things being said are disgusting, people aren't holding back with how far they go, naming people and saying they have done illegal things – too uneducated to realise that this can have a serious and lasting effect on someone and their career."

Yik Yak say that people can't control who views content, and that it is all publicly available, so if you don't want to share something publicly don't post it. However, the Oswestry teenager said the app isn't being used in the way it was intended.

"In other places, people can use this app in a positive way, but here it's like animals at the zoo," she said. "I think it's a very dangerous path to walk. People being slated for their appearance, past and life choices can lead to very serious consequences.

"It makes me feel angry and in some ways it made me laugh – some people are childish enough to sit behind a screen and write ridiculous accusations and target individuals just because they've been guaranteed some anonymity.

"It's no secret these anonymous opportunities can lead teenagers to make tragic choices – even suicide."

Carrie O'Keefe, Victim Support children and young people's case worker, said: "Nationally children's mental health services are at crisis point, there isn't the funding and resources to help these children, so they aren't getting the help and care they need and apps like this are only adding to this strain as they can seriously damage our children and young people."

The app has also sparked controversy across the pond, with many schools in America and Canada taking action to ban it.

Yik Yak offers its geofences to primary and secondary schools, in a bid to combat bullying.

Henry Nurdin, information systems controller at North Shropshire College, said: "We have made a request for a particularly inappropriate app to geofence NSC's Oswestry and Walford campuses. This is a procedure that will deny access to the app whilst they are within either campus's GPS coordinates."

Jackie Doodson, NSC principal, added: "During tutorial periods, we are reminding students of the potential consequences of using social media inresponsibly and reminding them how to remain safe online as well as report any incidents."

Jill Ashford, safeguarding and welfare lead at Shrewsbury College, said the college is "strongly advising" students not to install the app and warned that anonymous threats don't always stay anonymous.

She said: "The college is aware of the Yik Yak app and is strongly advising students not to install it on their mobile devices, due to it's potential to intimidate and bully.

"The app has been blocked at college so that students can't access it thought our college IT system.

"In serious cases of bullying or intimidations, police can gain users details from Yik Yak and our main message has been that anonymous threats don't always stay anonymous. We have produced a guidance document to inform both staff and students about the Yik Yak system and provide information to ensure that we educate in order to maintain safeguarding, awareness and eSafety at all times."

Chris Mathews, Shropshire Council's commissioner for education improvement and efficiency, said the council were not aware of the use of the app in any of the county's schools but said they take e-safety "very seriously". He said: "Schools in Shropshire all have e-safety policies. We are not aware of Yik Yak being used in any Shropshire schools, and pupils will not be able to install social media apps onto school-owned devices.

"Schools take e-safety very seriously, and Shropshire Council ensure that it continues to have a high profile through its professional development opportunities for staff and governors. The SSCB (Shropshire Safeguarding Children Board) is also extremely proactive in promoting e-safety."

Russell Griffin, public relations team leader at Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "As a local authority, we encourage all schools to develop an appropriate policy for use of IT which would cover both e-safety as well as apps. However we cannot comment on individual schools' approach to individual pieces of software."

Lee Evans, spokesperson for Powys County Council, also confirmed apps such as Yik Yak were blocked on council equipment at the county's schools.