Yubo is a live social discovery app that is free to download from the App Store and Google Play. More than 60 million young people use our platform every day to connect and engage with others from all over the world. The app is designed specifically to help young people today expand their social circles online, similar to how they would in real life. Unlike most other social media platforms, Yubo does not use any approval metrics such as likes or followers, which allows our users to express themselves authentically and make genuine friendships without the pressures of performance. 

There are 2 main ways to make friends on Yubo – through livestreams and through swipes. Swiping has become natural for Gen Z as a simple and straightforward way to demonstrate interest in connecting. While swiping is used differently across every type of app you can think of, for Yubo specifically it is focused on finding potential friends – this can be especially helpful when finding others who share similar interests or personalities. On their profiles, Yubo users can add tags, emojis and media that showcase who they are and what they like or dislike. You swipe right on friends you’d like to talk to, and if the other person does the same, you’re all set to start a conversation and strike up a friendship. 

The second way of finding friends is through our livestreaming feature. Users can explore the Live feed page to find live streams they are interested in based on topic, language or title. Once a user finds a livestream they’d like to join, they can jump right in and begin watching. Once they are in a livestream as a watcher, they can also request to join as a streamer. Every user also has the ability to start their very own livestream for others to join. You can have an unlimited number of viewers and a maximum of 10 streamers per livestream. Most of our users actually prefer staying in small circles with friends they feel comfortable with in our virtual community. 

As our concept is to meet people worldwide, you might wonder if our platform discloses users’ location on the app. When downloading the app, Yubo gives each user the choice to share their location or not. Users can also choose to only share their country or city, which allows the app to match them with friends that speak the same language. At any point, this option is easily changeable in your profile, you can hide/show your location at any time.

It is also important to note that the location options are disabled for all users under the age of 18  and their location information is hidden on the app by default. 

How does Yubo make sure its users always speak to real people?

Yubo’s main focus has always been safety, which is why we never stop innovating to create new safety features or iterating on those we have already implemented over the years across the app. We recently released an advanced, platform-wide age-verification process in partnership with Yoti that age-verifies users on Yubo. Following a successful beta test among our youngest users (13 to 14 years old), we released it to all our users. Today, we’re proud to say that 100% of our users are verified, which we accomplished 3 months ahead of schedule. 

This new system adds an extra layer of security and protection during user sign-up and will reduce the number of bots, fake profiles and bad actors on the platform. It will also help to ensure that users are the age they say, and assist Yubo in age-gating to limit interaction between teens and adults on the platform. 

Yubo 100% Age Verification

How does Yubo protect young users from abuse and regulate bad behaviors?

Yubo has strict Community Guidelines in place in order to protect, educate and support members of our growing community through innovative technology, a 24/7 team of Safety Specialists, and real-time moderation and intervention. We also have an independent Safety Board made of industry experts and work with NGOs, charities, law enforcement authorities and other organizations on digital safety issues.

Every new user must accept these Yubo’s guidelines when they sign up for the app. Our Community Guidelines prohibit nudity (and partial nudity including underwear), violence, drugs, hate speech, fake profiles, CSAM, bullying and more. When someone violates these guidelines, we investigate and take the appropriate action – this might include sending a warning, filtering and removing content, suspending a user or issuing permanent bans at the device level. We encourage our users to report any concerns to us and our own algorithms also generate reports when they detect a possible breach of our guidelines so we can take appropriate action.

Our Community Guidelines apply to all our users, no matter where they are in the world, and apply to content (including text, images, video live streaming and audio) on their profiles, live-streaming and chatting on Yubo. Because everything change so quickly in the digital world, these guidelines are a living document that we update regularly.

If you would like to find out more about our commitment to user safety and the tools we have in place, please visit our Safety Hub. You can also find details of the actions taken by our Safety team in our Transparency Report.

Social networks are everywhere, especially among young people. It can be very scary for parents to have to deal with this unknown world. At Yubo, we believe it is essential to have an open dialogue with parents and educators to best protect young users. Here is all the information parents need to know about Yubo and how it works.

What do parents need to know about Yubo?

In October, Yubo wears pink to raise awareness about breast cancer impact and prevention. 

In the United States, on average, 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. In France, where Yubo was founded, 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. Breast cancer does not choose who to affect and no matter who or where you are, someone in your life or even yourself is at risk. That is why Yubo is joining Pink October alongside partnership with the renowned research center Marie Curie Institute, Medisur laboratory, Cancer@Work, and TrainMe to help raise awareness among our employees, their friends, and their families and to teach the importance of preventative screening and prioritizing their health.

Yubo’s Pink October program focuses on bettering our team and putting their health first, through learning, experience sharing and wellness teaching. 

Yubo employees will be attending seminars with the Marie Curie Institute, a leader in breast cancer treatment, where we will be listening and talking to expert spokespersons on good practices for personal health and the different forms of breast cancer. Through participating in the Pink October program, Yubo will also be financially supporting the Marie Curie Institute with a donation toward its incredible life-saving research. 

A conference led by Medisur will inform Yubo team members about what the breast cancer screening process accounts for, and the life-saving importance of self-examination. Medisur works with companies and organizations to put their employees and members health first. They will also hear testimonials from Natahlie Presson, Director of Cancer@Work, and its members Louise Massing and Franck Martinez. 20-30% of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer, will lose their jobs, taking away their financial security and their health insurance. Cancer@Work aids breast cancer warriors and survivors in finding jobs by recognizing their strengths, rather than focusing on the “blank” periods on their resumes. 

Yubo team will also be participating in classes with TrainMe to help all employees focus on their mental and physical well-being. Not only is preventative screening necessary to protect your health, but so is nurturing your body and your mind. 

The Yubo App is adding a brand new filter for Pink October. The new filter, featuring pink hair pom poms, a pink tint over the whole video, a small pink heart on the user’s nose, and of course, a ribbon for breast cancer awareness on the screen, will be available to all users. We at Yubo not only want to show our support, but we want to assist our users with raising awareness and vocalizing their own support through the use of this filter. 

Our team is showing our users how we support Pink October through our social media channels too. We’ll be posting our team wearing pink and encouraging users to help spread awareness about breast cancer and breast cancer prevention. 

Pink October is coined worldwide to describe October as a month to raise awareness about breast cancer. Pink October mainly focuses on education about breast cancer, early detection and possible symptoms, but it also is used as a month to raise money towards research, treatments, education and emotional support for those diagnosed or potential patients. If you’re looking to get involved with Pink October, check out the activities calendar offered by the National Breast Cancer Foundation. . 

When did Pink October start and when did the pink ribbon begin to represent breast cancer?

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month was founded in 1985 by the American Cancer Society and a pharmaceutical division to promote breast cancer prevention. In 1991, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation handed out pink ribbons rather than the traditional pink visor to breast cancer survivors participating in a charity run.

Though the pink ribbon didn’t become synchronous with breast cancer that year, it only took one more year for the symbol to spread nationally. In 1993, is when the Senior Corporate Vice President of the Estee Lauder Companies (yes the cosmetics company), Evelyn Lauder, made a deal with the editor-in-chief of Self magazine, to promote the pink ribbon at their cosmetic counters across the country. Read more about the evolution and the history of the pink ribbon here. 

Is there a specific day to wear pink in October?

There is no specific day to wear pink in October or any part of the year as breast cancer doesn’t only affect its victims at select times. But, there are organized activities, fundraisers, runs, and more to support Pink October and breast cancer awareness in general, that you may want to sport pink for. For example, on the official Real Kids Wear Pink Day, students all across the nation are encouraged to wear pink to raise awareness in their communities and help fight against breast cancer. Real Kids Wear Pink was founded by an eleven year old girl in New York, who believed that when kids come together, great things can happen. 

The Marie Curie Institute / Institut Curie

The Marie Curie Institute, formed in 1970 thanks to the work done by Marie Curie and her colleagues on radioactivity, is an internationally-renowned research center with over 3,300 researchers, physicians and caregivers all working together for the Institute’s main missions: treatment, research and teaching. Marie Curie, a revolutionary physicist and chemist, is the only woman to have won two Nobel Prizes. 

In the United States, on average, 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. That is why Yubo is joining Pink October alongside partnership with the renowned research center Marie Curie Institute, Medisur laboratory, Cancer@Work, and TrainMe to help raise awareness among our employees, their friends, and their families and to teach the importance of preventative screening and prioritizing their health.

Yubo Joins Pink October

What is Yubo?

Yubo, a live social discovery app, has grown quickly across the globe. But, why is that? What is this yellow app and more importantly, what is the purpose of Yubo?

Yubo, is an app created to make it easy for people to expand their social circles, make friends and socialize online with people from around the world. Founded in 2015, Yubo was created with one purpose in mind: to find friends. Eventually, we expanded into our own standalone app, one that allows our users to meet unique personalities from all over the world in a safe virtual environment. 

While the possibilities to form friendships on Yubo are endless, there are two core aspects of Yubo that help you find and create long lasting friendships: the livestreams and the swipes. 

You’re likely already aware of how swiping works, since it’s used across many different types of apps you may have already encountered. But in case you’re not, here’s exactly how it works on Yubo: a profile appears on your screen with a personalized bio, as many pictures and videos as a user wishes to add, emojis to showcase the person’s personality, tags that show specific interests, and of course, their display name. You’ll check out the profile and if you decide you’d like to add them as a friend or start a conversation, you’ll swipe right. If you don’t think your personalities will match well, then you swipe left. It’s as simple as that.

If you match, you can begin messaging each other, which as we know, can sometimes be the hardest part of making new friends. Getting those awkward icebreakers and how are you? is out of the way. Yubo will suggest a few options of openings for you, just simple ones, but it’s an easy click to get the conversation started. After that, it’s all up to you. Be sure to check out their profile to find out more about their interests to make for more exciting conversation.

What about if you’re looking for someone to discuss the latest episode of your favorite anime show with? Simply, add that interest tag to your profile and then search for others with that same tag! We refer to that as “add by tags” – it’s one of our users’ favorite systems for finding friends and makes starting conversations easy. But, if messaging one-on-one isn’t your thing, then jump into one of our thousands of livestreams!

In Yubo lives, you have the world to discover right at your fingertips. Any country, any language, any interest, just hop into a Yubo Live and start chatting. Lives range from one person to ten people streaming and can have an unlimited number of viewers. If you’re more comfortable talking with one person or small groups, there’s lives for that. If you’d rather be part of a large crowd watching different people display their talents, share hilarious stories or talk about their day, there’s lives for that. Yubo is all about what is comfortable to you, and what interests you. There is something for everyone. 

Huge movie buff? Join a Youtube watchparty on Yubo! Magician in training? Hop into a talent Live and practice your profession. Need to focus on homework? Start your own Live and put up a sign telling others to study with you! Wanting to discuss politics, but none of your IRL friends are interested? Join a debate Live (just make sure to keep it respectful)! 

We also offer a variety of in-app games while livestreaming such as would you rather, drawing quizzes, and more! They’re easy to do and a great way to introduce yourself to others, or to spend time playing with friends! And, even better, on our live streams we offer a wide selection of filters for you to use while on camera if you so chose. 

Most importantly, safety is at the core of every decision made at Yubo. We don’t collect your private information to use for targeted advertisements. All we ask is for a photo and birthdate for verification purposes with our new AI verification process. It’s easy and helps to ensure everyone you’re talking to on Yubo is the real deal. 

More than that, we have a vast moderation team and processes in place to keep your interactions on the app positive. But, you have control too. In the “muted words” section of your profile add words you’d rather not see in live or in your messages. And, if you come across a user not respecting the community guidelines or your own boundaries, you’re able to report them and our safety team will investigate it further and take appropriate action if necessary. 

What is Yubo used for?

When you think of the word “bots” you are probably imagining some kind of malicious code created solely to send you annoying spam messages or to create fake engagement on social media. While this is true some of the time, it is not always the case. Bots can actually be extremely helpful and even serve a good purpose.

An online bot is simply a software that is coded to run tasks online. They are not physical robots sitting behind computers (maybe in the future though). Even though little internet software robots seem like no big deal, they can be quite powerful depending on how they are programmed and what their purpose is.

Let’s start with the bad bots. Have you ever received a random message, email, or even phone call that tries to get some information out of you? Or sometimes just says “Hello” and then follows up with a completely out of context message? Those are likely bots. But the bots themselves are not the bad guys, it is their creator and their poor intent that is malicious. Some bots are designed to create fake social media accounts to endorse certain pages or even make negative comments. Bots can even be programmed to go as far as share fake news or have fake conversations with real people, hoping to get personal information from them. Depending on the capabilities of the programmer, believe it or not, it can even go much further than this.

Don’t worry, not every profile you interact with online is run by a bot and not every post with a few thousand engagements is fake either – especially on Yubo. In fact, on Yubo, you have an added layer of protection against bots, fake profiles and people with bad intentions thanks to the latest Age Verification System put in place making Yubo a 100% user verified platform. A general rule of thumb to stay safe online is to NEVER, ever share your personal information with strangers. If a company or website requires personal information, it will always be done through their secure servers, but you cannot trust another person you don’t know very well with the same information. Another quick tip to avoid interacting with bots is: If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. The lottery won’t send you a direct message asking for your routing number to send the money, and… you probably didn’t win the lottery (yet).

Not every bot is evil. In fact, bots can be extremely helpful as they are excellent at collecting and compiling public data. Data scientists use bots all the time to collect important insights on our world. You can even easily access bot data with Google Trends, a free database of the most searched terms on Google. That’s pretty cool.

Now for the good bots. Bots are commonly used by tech companies to help with or carry out moderation to make the internet a better place. Yubo uses bots in combination with advanced AI algorithms and a team of around the clock real-time moderators to create as safe and positive a virtual environment as possible. By teaming up with bots, Yubo’s moderation team can ensure timely, effective and fair moderation is done. 

You might be wondering how Yubo’s real-time moderation works?

We can’t give away all of our secrets, but we can share some insight on how Yubo utilizes its bots for moderation purposes. Yubo created a system of bots that process Livestreams, content users share, and chats. 

For Livestreams, our bots analyze the Livestream video frame by frame to search for content that violates Yubo’s community guidelines. If the bots pick up on an inappropriate image, they will send that instance to one of Yubo’s real-time moderators, who are real people (not robots). Those moderators then go through each incident and take appropriate action.

Does Yubo use bots to moderate other content than livestreams? 

When it comes to the content users share, the bots are a bit more proactive. They will automatically scan the photo or video for content that breaches the community guidelines before the user is able to send it.

Yubo understands that messaging is a large part of socializing online, but believes that hate has no place on the app. This is why it also scans for harmful and inappropriate text. Separately, you can use Yubo’s Muted Words feature to hide certain words or phrases from your screen that you find personally triggering. Bot power feels good doesn’t it?

Bot moderation goes a bit further here as well. The bots also process text for personal information before the user is able to send it. If they find any, the use will receive a pop-up alert letting them know that they are about to share personal information with another person. If the user wishes to proceed, they can click through the pop up. It never hurts to think twice about sharing private information.

Again, safety is at the core of everything we do at Yubo. That is why we use the amazing power of bots, don’t worry only the good kind, with the best intentions in mind.

When you think of the word “bots” you are probably imagining some kind of malicious code created solely to send you annoying spam messages or to create fake engagement on social media. While this is true some of the time, it is not always the case. the Yubo team explains how Bots can actually be extremely helpful and even serve a good purpose. Come and discover the mystery of bots, even if it's not on Yubo that you'll meet many them.

Not all Bots are Bad Bots

Pretending to be someone else on the internet by creating fake profiles, also known as catfishing, is a very common practice especially on social media. It’s unfortunately nothing new. In fact, that term was made popular by the American TV Show “Catfish”, which began airing back in 2012. The show’s premise is to help guests determine if the person they’ve been talking to online is actually the real person behind the account. That type of behavior is also very commonly linked to scams, hence why it has become more and more important to be able to quickly detect those false identities to help you stay safe.

Why is it important to know how to spot fake profiles?

Knowing who you’re talking to before sharing anything about yourself, such as your daily life, private or personal information, or your deepest secrets must become a priority when surfing the internet or connecting online. For people who have the wrong intentions, impersonating someone is fairly easy to do these days – but don’t worry, we have your back. Signs of a potential fake account can be simple to identify when you know what to look for. 

Making up an entire fake person’s life from scratch takes a lot of creativity and work… As a result, asking questions to a catfish might help you spot gaps in their story (whether it’s about their family, friends, what they did at school, where they’re from, what their interests are, what they liked as a kid and so on). Making a conversation flow is the basis of building friendships online, especially when you find someone with similar interests, so keep doing this as it will help you spot potential inconsistencies.

Of course, the goal is not to be overly suspicious about everyone you might interact with, you can’t constantly assume the worst of people, but being careful doesn’t cost you anything and can help to keep you safe – which is the most important. All it takes is a little bit of caution when you are still building trust.

What’s the best way to determine if an account is fake or not on social media?

The best way is trusting apps that guarantee 100% age verification for all its users. At Yubo, we believe it’s key to stay safe online and to make sure you’re making true friends.

Yubo has recently become the first major social media platform to implement comprehensive age-verification technology, which is definitely a milestone we’ve worked hard to achieve in an ongoing effort to provide our users with as much online safety as possible. 

Yubo's New Verification

In partnership with leading digital identity provider Yoti, Yubo first introduced this brand-new age-verification system in May 2022 for users ages 13 and 14 through beta testing, with the goal of scaling verification across all ages by year-end.

The main reason why we started introducing it for our youngest users is that we consider them our most vulnerable audience. Young people often feel the need to fit in and make new friends quickly, plus their thinking skills are still growing significantly and they might overlook warning signs more than other users.

This trial was a great success, which is why the integration was accelerated. In only 3 months, we reached the milestone of 100% of our iOS users being verified. Fewer than 10% of Yubo users today access the platform via Android devices and Yubo’s age-verification software will be deployed fully to Android in the coming weeks. 

Yubo is aiming for greater efficiency to ensure users interact within age-appropriate groups, while still making our user experience smooth and our verification process accessible and easy to go through. This implementation is also extremely discouraging for catfishes or people with bad intentions – whether we’re talking about humans or bots – from accessing Yubo.

How does Yubo’s new age-verification tool work? 

Yubo prompts new users signing up for an account, or existing users who are not yet verified, to enter their age and take a real-time photo of their face – otherwise known as, you guessed it, a selfie. 

Yoti’s technology has been trained to estimate age by looking at facial features and interpreting them as pixels. It then can match those pixels to other sets of pixels to determine an estimated age. To protect user data and privacy, the system has no way of retroactively linking a name or an identity to an image provided. If the age provided and the age estimated based on the photo do not match, additional identification steps are required before the user can access Yubo. Yoti’s technology is crazy precise, as it is able to verify that a user is above or below a given age threshold consistently across all ages, genders, and skin tones. 

What other tips can be useful to detect fake profiles? 

Someone that only wants to exchange via DMs – it’s fishy if you consistently refuse to show your real face on camera, even for a few seconds

No new pictures – usually catfishes only have access to a few pictures of the person they’re trying to impersonate, which mean that they will quickly run out of selfies to share and you won’t see any updates

Using photos of a celebrity, influencer, model or other famous or recognizable person 

Very few friends count – your friends are interested in what you share, and always comment or like your pics or stories. If someone doesn’t have any interaction on their profiles, that might be a red flag

Pretending to be someone else on the internet by creating fake profiles, also known as catfishing, is a very common practice especially on social media. It’s unfortunately nothing new. The Yubo team has recently seen the American TV Show “Catfish”, which made the term Catfish popular. The show’s premise is to help guests determine if the person they’ve been talking to online is actually the real person behind the account. That type of behavior is also very commonly linked to scams, hence why it has become more and more important to be able to quickly detect those false identities to help you stay safe. And the new age verification system of Yubo is a sure way to avoid this kind of profile. But here are some tips from the Yubo team to unmask these fake profiles when you are online on other platforms.

How Yubo keeps fake profiles away from its platform?

Yubo, a social discovery platform, launched in 2015 is quickly growing and claiming its place as one of the top social apps for Gen Z. On the platform, users ranging from 13-25 can make new friends by finding users of similar interests and can then message or live stream with them, creating long-lasting friendships in this digital age.

But, how can Yubo ensure its users know who they’re talking to is who they say they are, and how can Yubo promise a safe environment online? Yubo’s newest age-verification system can offer teens, and their parents, peace of mind that online friendships have never been safer.

Yubo has become an industry leader in online safety. 

Not only has Yubo enforced an age verification system on the app for years, but now it will be the first major social media app to push age verification across the entirety of the platform. 

On the Yubo App, verifying your age has never been easier or safer. All a user has to do is take a real-time selfie through the app (to ensure it truly is the user) and then the liveness algorithm will take a quick video of the user. The algorithm can even detect whether it is looking at a real human or a static image. Once it has secured an image, the Yoti algorithm will give an estimate of the age and see if it matches the age it claimed to be. Any discrepancies and the user will be asked to provide additional identification further proving their age. With their age selected, they will then be placed in a matching age range on the Yubo App, and can safely message others in that age range without question of who they are. On Yubo, you won’t have to worry and can instead put that focus and energy into making new friends. It’s a win-win for everyone. 

This new algorithm benefits all Yubo users, and not just because Yubo is enforcing 100% verification. Now, minors, who may not have had IDs, can verify themselves and show the digital world of Yubo that they are who they say they are. So, the minors who weren’t able to verify in the past can now enjoy that bright yellow check mark beside their username. Who said aesthetics and safety couldn’t go together?

But, does this age-verification system really work? 

Yes, and it’s constantly improving. Today, the Yoti algorithm is 98.9 percent accurate in determining if users are above or below the age threshold. With over 550 million age evaluations (and growing) in its database, Yoti is capable of correctly estimating 6-to12-year-old users within a 1.3-year margin and 13-to18-year-old users within a 1.5-year margin regardless of their gender and skin tones. Additionally, Yoti’s liveness detection algorithm has been awarded iBeta certification, which is the industry standard for these practices. While some social media apps like Instagram, are jumping to utilize this technology, Yubo still remains the only platform to ask for the entirety of its user base to verify themselves. 

If you’re looking for a safe online space where young minds can express themselves, head to Yubo. With 60 million users across 40 countries accumulated since 2015, Yubo is a fast-growing Gen Z-focused app and you never have to worry about being bored. Yubo offers messaging, live streaming, interest-based profile tags, and of course, online games to play with friends or to be used as icebreakers. All of the above plus an emphasis on safety, what else could you ask for?

Yubo, a social discovery platform, launched in 2015 is quickly growing and claiming its place as one of the top social apps for Gen Z. On the platform, users ranging from 13-25 can make new friends by finding users of similar interests and can then message or live stream with them, creating long-lasting friendships in this digital age.
But, how can Yubo ensure its users know who they’re talking to is who they say they are, and how can Yubo promise a safe environment online? Yubo’s newest age-verification system can offer teens, and their parents, peace of mind that online friendships have never been safer.

The Benefits of Yubo's Advanced Verification System

In May 2022, Yubo announced it was introducing an age verification system developed in partnership with digital identity provider, Yoti. The new software allows Yubo to further strengthen safety measures and allows Yubo users to be confident that they’re interacting with others of a similar age group. Yubo first launched the technology in beta for users ages 13 and 14, with the goal of scaling the technology across its entire user base by the end of the year - a first for a social network of Yubo’s size! 

🎉 Today, we are proud to announce that we are one step closer to becoming the first social media platform to age-verify 100% of our users, with all Apple users successfully verified three months ahead of schedule. 🎉

This initiative is part of Yubo's commitment to the safety of its users. In an ever-changing digital world, our team continues to innovate and find new solutions so that we can provide our users with the safest possible experience on Yubo. Age and identity verification issues are amongst the greatest challenges facing the entire industry today, and our new age verification system puts us one step closer to mitigating the issues associated. 

How does the age verification system work?

The age verification system asks all new users joining Yubo, and all users already registered across Yubo who have not been verified yet, to verify their identity using Yoti’s age-estimation technology. To do so, each user is prompted to take a real-time photo of their face, which Yoti’s technology uses to estimate their age and compare it against the date of birth provided at sign-up. 

Within a few seconds, users are told if the age verification was successful and if so, they can immediately begin socialising on Yubo. 

This system is completely privacy-friendly and only requires additional identification steps if the user’s age doesn’t match the age listed at sign-up. 

In order to use Yubo, all of our users must now go through our new age verification system. It allows us to enhance the accuracy of age-gating and prevent users who may misrepresent their age with ill intent from joining our platform. 

At Yubo, our foremost priority is to create a safe environment for our users and to empower them to interact safely online and with others across the world. To do this, we continuously look for new ways to protect our users. The development of this age verification tool not only addresses one of the largest challenges in online safety today but provides another level of protection to our young users. 

We want all our users to feel safe and be authentic on Yubo. If a user refuses to verify their age, they will not be able to enter the app and will be asked to verify their age every time they attempt to log in. 

So now, you know what you have to do to connect with your friends on Yubo!

Why is checking the age of users important for social networks?

Age and identity verification are some of the biggest challenges within the industry. While some major social media apps have verification processes in place, they are not implemented widely across their platforms and are not required upon sign up.

This issue is central, as it helps to reduce the proliferation of bots, and duplicate profiles, which are detrimental to social networks that are committed to providing a safe and authentic experience for their users.

At Yubo, we have always advocated for authentic socialization, and we ask that all profile pictures show the user’s face, both as a way to combat abuse and so that users know who they are talking to.

Wide-scale age verification plays an important part in further strengthening Yubo’s robust safety framework. 

The age verification system primarily aims to enhance the accuracy of age gating on Yubo, which separates users into different communities based on age to limit interaction between teens and adults. Yubo is among only a handful of social media platforms to use age-gating measures today.

And as mentioned above, the wide-scale deployment of the age verification system has allowed us to clean up the Yubo community and remove fake profiles, bots, or users who may misrepresent their age with bad intentions. 

Has this had an impact on the Yubo community?

Our community’s quick action has allowed us to expedite platform-wide deployment with 87% of users verified on the first attempt. Of course, many profiles were blocked - either because a discrepancy in age was detected by Yoti’s age estimation or because the user did not want to proceed. 

Our priority is protecting our users and keeping our community as safe as possible, even if that means forfeiting a larger user base or driving away a portion of new users.

Yoti’s age-estimation technology is able to correctly verify that a user is above or below an age threshold consistently across all ages, genders, and skin tones. The technology is certified by iBeta, the gold standard for technologies in this field.

We’ve been partnering with Yoti since 2019, and their technology, trusted by government agencies and major retail and financial services firms amongst others, was the natural fit to make this new system a success.

In May 2022, Yubo announced it was introducing an age verification system developed in partnership with digital identity provider, Yoti. Now Yubo is finalizing its 100% Age Verification System integration. It is the first major social media app to require 100% user verification for platform use.

Goal: 100% Age-Verified Users on Yubo!

Self-care is the newest going out. It’s trending, desirable and leaves you refreshed rather than exhausted at the end of the day. You know of, and probably watch, the influencers who are able to dedicate two hours of their day to an aesthetically pleasing and high-cost self-care routine. Yet, for most people, that’s not attainable. 

So, how do you fit and prioritize self-care into your own life? Here are some self-care tips that you may not have thought were self-care, but are. 

Food to fuel you. No, I’m not talking about the green smoothies and fermented drinks, we’re talking about food that makes you feel good, full, and satisfied. Always try your best to incorporate lean proteins, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc. – I didn’t know what cruciferous meant either and still don’t), different colored veggies (who doesn’t love a pretty meal), berries, a variety of nuts (as long as you don’t have nut allergies), and olive oil. Your body will love them and can offer benefits in the long run. But, despite this, if you’re really craving some sweets- go for it! Is it okay to eat sweets when you’re craving it? Yes, it can be great for your mental health. Listen to your body and your emotions for what you need. 



Find 5 minutes to meditate. So, this one may be a more obvious self-care tip, but I bet you didn’t know just 5 minutes can be all you need to reap a multitude of benefits. What can 5 minutes of meditation do? Reduce stress, increase focus & productivity, and improve your mindfulness. So, find 5 minutes in your day, to connect to yourself. If you need a meditation guide, we recommend this one from Headspace. Go to a calm location, get comfortable and find your inner zen. It may feel weird or be boring at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll begin to notice the benefits. 



Chores. Yes, I know, you may view this as the absolute opposite of those relaxing self-care videos, but all it takes is looking at them from a different perspective to make these tedious tasks into an enjoyable part of your day (or week). What’s your morning routine usually like? Get out of bed, get dressed, brush your teeth, brush your hair, brush your dog (?), and make the bed if you’re feeling crazy. Whatever you do, you’ve probably accomplished at least 5 activities of self-care this morning. Acknowledge the little things you do for your life and applaud yourself for doing them. Changing your view of chores from tasks you have to accomplish to activities you want to accomplish helps you start everyday with achievements.



Talk to a friend. Pick up the phone and dial in a number, send a snap, hop on a Yubo live; do whatever it is that makes you feel connected to your friends. Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, social connection is a fundamental human need, so don’t deprive yourself of it just because you’re busy or worried they may not want to hear from you. They have that same need for social connection as you. Not sure who to reach out to? Go onto Yubo and start swiping or live streaming. Every single user on the app is there to make friends. They want to hear from you, just as badly as you want to talk to them. Trust us, we’re experts on that (source: we’re Yubo). A friendly interaction can make your whole day better, so give it a try whenever you need.



Make a routine. You don’t have to have your whole day planned out, we know things rarely go as planned, but you can find small pieces of the day to make part of your daily routine. The time you go to bed, the steps you take every morning when you wake up, the path you take around the grocery store, whatever works for you! Everytime you’re entering a typical part of your routine, you don’t have to stress about what comes next and can focus on yourself in the moment.  Having routines, especially a rough day-to-day routine, can help with stress, sleep, and even your overall health. It takes an average of 66 days to form a habit, so it's never too early to start. 



Hobbies. Everyone has a hobby. Whether it’s talent-based or interest-based, there’s something you enjoy. And, if you’re looking for a hobby, here are some recommendations: mini sculpture painting, tree shaping, extreme ironing (it’s exactly how it sounds, look it up), or singing. But, how are hobbies self-care? Taking the time to yourself to participate in your hobby will help reduce stress, explore your talents, improve your self-confidence and much more. As long as you’re happy doing your hobby, you can count that as benefiting yourself. 

What truly matters when participating in self-care? Do what feels right for you. Focus on what benefits you and your mind.

Self-care is the newest going out. It’s trending, desirable and leaves you refreshed rather than exhausted at the end of the day. However, the super-expensive routines of the influencers are often unapproachable. Join Bo and the Yubo team for some self-care tips that you may not have thought were self-care, but are. 
Because at Yubo we really care about the mental health of our community.

Self-Care Tips You May Not Have Thought Were Self-Care

What are the benefits of having friends from all around the world?

There are so many perks to having international friendships, it is hard to fit them all into this blog. To list a few: you can have valuable cultural exchanges, pick up pieces of a new language, get local recommendations, and so much more. At a minimum, having friends from all over the globe gives you a deeper understanding of the world we live in.

There are plenty of ways to make international friends!

With the power of the internet, you can easily chat by messaging or video with people you have never met before living in places you never even knew existed. You have probably had online interactions with people from other countries without even knowing it. Look at Yubo for example, you have access to the whole world in the palm of your hand. You can literally live stream with people from another country anytime you open the app. Our users often share their experience making international friends on Yubo, too! Friends from all over the word don’t always need to live in another country or be met on some grand adventure. It can also be as simple as having lunch with an international student or someone who has immigrated to your community that you welcome with open arms.

Does having friends from all over the world make you more open minded?

The answer to that is 100% yes! When one of your friends is from another country there is a constant cultural exchange going on. It helps you practice multiculturalism, which helps you be more accepting of others: whether it is religion, skin tone, culture or ideology. There are countless things we take for granted or think are normal everywhere. For example, if you live in Switzerland, you probably think everyone has convenient access to the world's best drinking water right from their tap, but this is far from the case. In some countries, you can’t drink any of the tap water. And if you live in Hawai’i you are likely used to rinsing your plates before using them in case a cockroach has scrambled across it. But, that might sound real freaky to someone who lives in New York. There are infinite comparisons you can make to highlight the world's subtle differences, but those differences are fascinating and can make for great conversation starters.

There is so much to be learned from different cultures and perspectives. For example, in Samoa they still have strong ties to their history, despite being colonized multiple times. Every landscape or food source has a story behind it. That mountain range is not just a mountain, it is actually a sleeping giant who lay there to rest for so long that he became part of the earth. Even coconuts have fantastical lore behind them. These rich friendships make you more empathetic towards worldly topics and issues. By knowing how different cultures and countries can be, it is impossible to look at a global topic as black and white.

What is the coolest part of having international friends?

The priceless cultural exchanges you have are the best part. Don’t get me wrong, having friends from across the world makes traveling a lot more fun! It adds locations you would have never thought to go to, like why go to Italy when your bestie has told you all about the wonderful sights in Tahiti? On top of that, you are able to get a genuine local experience in that new environment. You won’t get caught up in the surface level tourist traps, which are never good for the locals by the way. Instead, you have the chance to immerse yourself in a new community and culture with local recommendations directly from a friend. Opportunities like that are hard to come by.

Who needs Duolingo when you can actually speak with someone in another language. Apps and translators are definitely helpful for getting the basics down, but often they are not common phrases or the way people actually speak with each other. At a minimum, with international friends you will at least pick up a couple phrases or words. You might even incorporate some into your own vocabulary. If nothing else, it can at least be a quick flex. You might even run into the perfect opportunity to actually use those words or phrases. I always like learning how to say thank you in other languages because it just might brighten up someone else's day. For example, I learned how to say thank you in Thai and the next time I went to one of my favorite Thai restaurants, I used it. The owner’s face lit up with a big smile and they got a little excited and said it back. Sometimes, it’s the small things in life that can make the biggest differences.

Yubo is a place where you can easily expand your social circle online with nex friends from all around the world. These new international friendships can bring you so many perks in your daily life and for you personally! Come and discover with us some of them (there are far too many to describe in only one blogpost) - believe us it's worth it!

Benefits of Having Friends From All Around The World

It's that time of the year already. The time of the year when you actually go to Target with a purpose. The time of year when you get slightly nostalgic about the warm weather, while simultaneously brainstorming this year's Halloween costumes. And of course the time of year when you go BACK TO SCHOOL.

School, whether it's high school, college, or trade school, is a community of thought and knowledge. And within that lies a rich and diverse mix of individuals who each bring their own unique culture, thoughts, traditions, perspective, and so much more to the table. At Yubo, we believe in embracing a better future and the community and environment you live in (be it in person or online). It is important to be passionate about the things you care about, and one way to express that passion in your community is through activism!

Activism comes in many shapes and sizes, from education to protests, all forms of activism are valuable. We’re not exclusively talking about the Greta Thunbergs of the world. You don’t need to be famous to be an activist. It could be as simple as educating yourself on a topic you knew nothing about before or by socializing with new people. As a student, there are many ways to be involved.

How do you get involved in topics you care about?

Do you know the saying, “there’s an app for that?” Well at school, there’s a club for that and if there isn’t, well, you can start a club for that. The three main focal points of student activism over the past 5 years have been Racial Equality, Politics, and Covid-19 policies/practices. If school clubs are not for you, there are still plenty of ways to be active in your community. It can be as simple as supporting local businesses or volunteering near you. There are plenty of dedicated town social media pages that list weekly and monthly events you could take part in.

What can you contribute to the community as a student?

There are many ways to do this, but the common theme among them all is turning your efforts into actions. Back in 2020, the BLM movement was heard loud and clear across almost every college campus and country. Students from across the U.S. (and world) organized protests for racial equality on campus and in their surrounding communities. Some student-led groups raised money to support local racial justice organizations, others lobbied to have building names changed or certain statues taken down. And, of course, the arts were instrumental in conveying the emotion and message behind racial equality.

Student activism is an essential representation of the youth's voice. After all, we are the ones who the world is being handed to. Student efforts extend far beyond school communities. Look at climate change conventions, like the famous COP26. Students were peacefully protesting and speaking at the convention, among members of the United Nations in hopes to enact change for a better world.That’s pretty impressive!

Younger generations view social media as an important tool to get involved with social issues. Through apps like Yubo, you can meet amazing people from all over the world and hear different points of view that you would not normally have access to. Yubo is one of the best places to hold a smooth debate! It’s a great place to educate yourself, engage in conversations, and expose yourself to viewpoints that are not local to you. Hosting a peaceful protest on campus? Post about it on social media and even live stream it to Yubo users around the world, so they can join in too!

Can you make an impact in your online community?

Activism does not only exist in the physical world. A lot of activist resources and connections are available online as well. In the recent months, the #WeStandWithUkraine hashtag blew up all across the internet. There were countless fundraisers across varying online communities that led to donations that helped the citizens of Ukraine. This was only possible through the online activism of the world and brought about real change.

Social movements translate well through social media because it’s accessible and shareable. As the world becomes more and more digital, our attention is shifting to online profiles and interactions. This is why actions as simple as putting a hashtag or emoji in your profile or adding your preferred pronouns to your bio make a difference. Did you know that on Yubo you can put tags and 5 emojis in your bio?

The internet, social media especially, has made important information available in an easily digestible medium. This can be a double edged sword, making it easier to spread misinformation. Before you potentially share false information, a quick Google search should do the trick! It has been truly exciting and humbling to see activism in action on our own platform, Yubo. It has been an honor to see people sharing tips on how to fight for racial justice, people sharing resources for pride month, the celebration of mental health, and much more!

We know you are off to school and we hope you make this semester count. In the great words of Martin Luther King Jr. “The time is always right to do right.” We are here for all of it.

At Yubo, we believe in embracing a better future and the community and environment you live in (be it in person or online). It is important to be passionate about the things you care about, and one way to express that passion in your community is through activism!

Yubo's Take

Here for all of it.