Is Fizz Safe? A Fizz App Review for Parents

Harmful Content 😲

Tons of high school and college publications have reported how Fizz is host to a ton of inappropriate content. Students have spread hurtful messages relating to race, sexuality, disabilities, and more. Rumors have spread about drug and alcohol use at parties, as well as dating and relationship gossip. Essentially, all the typical high school drama is plastered online for all to see and perpetuated more easily than ever. 

Fizz does have moderators to uphold their community standards. The moderation team is made up of students who supposedly go through extensive training. They have the power to remove posts that violate standards. But again, based on the anecdotal evidence from schools from all over the country, this moderation team seems to have little impact. 

Also, parents should note that Fizz offers students the chance to become an ambassador to get Fizz launched at their school — and Fizz says they’ll actually pay kids to be an ambassador. So beware of the monetary incentive that may entice some kids to engage with Fizz that otherwise probably wouldn’t.

Predation 🚨

One thing about Fizz is that they’re pretty thorough when it comes to verifying who can use the app. First, the school admin has to allow Fizz to launch at their school. Then, students and staff must use their verified school email in order to sign up. If you’re not verified with your email, you have zero access to the app’s features. 

This minimizes the chances of a stranger ending up on the app — but it’s not impossible. These things are hardly ever foolproof (for example, what if someone who already graduated still has an active school email?). Additionally, the app has private DMs, which is always a red flag for predation. If an adult with inappropriate intentions towards a student is on the app, they can use private DMs for grooming tactics without any supervision. 

Privacy 🔒

Fizz takes privacy very seriously, Just looking through their FAQ page, they address the topic of privacy extensively. They are transparent that they will never misuse user data, and users can be completely anonymous if they so choose. 

This kind of privacy can sometimes be a Catch-22. On the one hand, it’s great for kids to be anonymous online, because their digital footprint is better protected. However, kids may use their anonymity in immature or harsh ways. Kids may be more likely to make a risky post or DM because they think the anonymity will protect them from any consequences. And we’ve seen this to be a likely scenario in other schools already. 

Parental Controls ✅

Fizz does not have any parental controls. But as always, Bark can help! With Bark, you can:

• Block Fizz entirely, if needed. 
• Manage when your child can use Fizz throughout the day. 

So, should my kid download it?

We do not recommend using this app if it’s allowed at your kid’s school. And if it’s not, we would not suggest taking any steps towards bringing it to your school. These student apps gain lots of fast traction when they’re first released, but their popularity usually doesn’t last in the same way apps like TikTok and Snapchat do.