Social Media
Is the Simp App Safe? A Simp App Review for Parents
Overview
Have you heard about the Simp app? It’s an anonymous question-and-answer app that’s popular with high schoolers. Curious what its name means? Simp is teen slang for a person who tries hard and goes out of their way for someone they like. It’s mostly used in a romantic sense, but not all aspects of the app are about crushes. In fact, the creators describe its purpose as “an app to compliment your friends.”
Here’s how Simp works: After adding friends or contacts, you get to vote multiple-choice style for the person you know who most fits the answer to polls like “Looked at the eclipse without eclipse glasses”, “Down to date them”, or “Most likely to be Batman.” If someone selects you, you’ll get an anonymous message in your inbox that “a girl” or “a boy” chose you for an answer to one of their questions. You then can share a screenshot on Instagram or Snapchat — but you don’t ever find out who exactly picked you. We’ve got all the details on Simp below, so keep reading.
Harmful Content 😲
While Simp isn’t nearly as dangerous as other apps we’ve reviewed lately, it has its share of issues. The app prompts you to add your contacts from your phone, and if you choose to, you can then see all kinds of people (including friends of friends) in these polls, which could get messy.
One of the options for using Simp is to add people from your high school who also have the app. Unsurprisingly, this could create a situation ripe for cyberbullying, especially once screenshots get shared on Instagram or Snapchat.
There are no upgrades available for sale in the app, but the more you use it, the more “coins” you can earn that unlock features like hints to who’s liked you.
Predation 🚨
The greatest thing about Simp is that there’s no direct messaging or chatting, activities the creators stated they are explicitly against. Because of this, the app’s potential for online predation is greatly lessened. It’s not zero, however, as kids could have internet friends — ones they met on Discord, for example — who aren’t who they say they are. There’s also the opportunity to add friends of friends as contacts, and that can get dicey.
Positive Value 💙
Most of the polls on Simp are harmless and fun, and a big chunk are about pumping up and recognizing your friends. This could make teens feel good about themselves. In fact, the company’s tagline is “Simp is an app to gas friends up and be their biggest stans.” To translate this teen speak, “Simp is an app to boost your friends’ self-esteem where you can show that you’re their biggest fans.”
Privacy 🔒
Despite being a quasi-anonymous app, Simp will access your contacts and insert them into the polls. It will also allow you to join a local school group based on your location. That being said, no real identifying information is revealed beyond your name.
Parental Controls ✅
Because of how little functionality Simp has, there are no parental controls. If you’re worried about your child using the app, however, Bark can help. Our service lets you block Simp if needed, or manage when they can use it throughout the day.
So, should my kid download it?
For high schoolers, the Simp app isn’t the worst idea, but you know your child best. It’s not nearly as dangerous as other apps like Snapchat or websites like Omegle. Keep in mind, though, that it may cause stress and anxiety about figuring out crushes, and may even prompt cyberbullying if used nefariously.
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