What it is
Yubo is marketed to teenagers and young adults as a way to make friends on live video. Profiles, swipes, and streams make it feel like a social network. The contact is still with people they have not met, on camera.
Age checks on apps like this have been a public concern more than once. A young-looking audience does not mean every viewer is young. Treat live video with strangers as a high-concern feature, even when the branding says it is for their age group.
What to look out for
- Live streams with people they cannot name.
- Profile details that include a school, town, or age.
- Anyone asking to move to a more private app.
- Gifts, flattery, or secrecy from someone older.
Ways to stay safe
These steps are for Yubo. The house rules still apply on every app.
- Prefer that this app is not installed. If an older teen already uses it, watch a stream with them before you decide.
- Remove school and location from the profile.
- Agree that a request to continue the chat somewhere more private is the moment to stop.
- If someone has already asked for photos or a meeting, use the help page.
In the news
Published reports you can read yourself. A headline is the proof, not a set of instructions, and this page does not repeat graphic detail.
- Criminals are using private messaging to groom children The NSPCC’s 2025 figures are about Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. The BBC report is the one that names Yubo.
- Grooming cases at a record high The piece includes a young woman targeted on Yubo at 15. The other person pretended to be a teenager, then moved her to a private app.
A way to start the conversation
Ask them to explain how they know the people on the stream are their age. If the answer is "they said so", that is the whole problem in one sentence.
Video
Yubo parent briefing
A short video for this guide can be added by an editor. Until then, the written briefing above is the one to use.