By Molly Armentrout
The App Yik Yak has many people saying yuck! Yik Yak, an app used for the social purposes of college students, has now turned into a way for high school students to cyber bully each other while being able to remain anonymous. Because of the usage of this app for negative purposes, Yik Yak has many people saying yuck!
The app uses GPS location to let a person know what other people with the app are saying within a 10 mile radius of his or her whereabouts. Yik Yak has been taken to whole new level with high schools around the country experiencing bullying and even bomb threats. Because of this reason, Yik Yak can no longer be used inside or near high schools and middle schools.
Yik Yak has even found its way into Audubon's little community. Junior student, Alese Denny, has been targeted with several vulgar and unnecessary remarks made about her on the app. One of Denny’s friends, that used to live in Audubon, sent her a screenshot of one of the posts about her. At that point all Denny knew was “that Yik-Yak is supposed to be used by ADULTS only and that it is definitely not [being] used by only adults.” Kids can be cruel, and Audubon County is no different. Denny said, “They [the posts] make me feel terrible. There were nights I would cry myself to sleep because of what was being said and knowing that there wasn’t a single thing I could do about it.”
Denny refuses to download the app because she knows it will eat her away and she is “better off not knowing about it.” She thinks Yik Yak “is the stupidest app ever [and] social networks are [supposed to be] there to keep up and catch up with people that you’ve lost connections with, not so you can harass and talk down on people.”
Denny admitted to sometimes being a bully herself, but unfortunately she has also been bullied since she was in 5th grade. “Some days are worse than others, but I know I will be out of high school soon enough so I just try to look on the bright side of things.” Her advice to anyone who is struggling with bullies is simply to just ignore it. “It’s very hard to ignore hurtful things that people say and do, but trust me, it’s the best thing that you can do, and if you have the app, delete it.”
The app uses GPS location to let a person know what other people with the app are saying within a 10 mile radius of his or her whereabouts. Yik Yak has been taken to whole new level with high schools around the country experiencing bullying and even bomb threats. Because of this reason, Yik Yak can no longer be used inside or near high schools and middle schools.
Yik Yak has even found its way into Audubon's little community. Junior student, Alese Denny, has been targeted with several vulgar and unnecessary remarks made about her on the app. One of Denny’s friends, that used to live in Audubon, sent her a screenshot of one of the posts about her. At that point all Denny knew was “that Yik-Yak is supposed to be used by ADULTS only and that it is definitely not [being] used by only adults.” Kids can be cruel, and Audubon County is no different. Denny said, “They [the posts] make me feel terrible. There were nights I would cry myself to sleep because of what was being said and knowing that there wasn’t a single thing I could do about it.”
Denny refuses to download the app because she knows it will eat her away and she is “better off not knowing about it.” She thinks Yik Yak “is the stupidest app ever [and] social networks are [supposed to be] there to keep up and catch up with people that you’ve lost connections with, not so you can harass and talk down on people.”
Denny admitted to sometimes being a bully herself, but unfortunately she has also been bullied since she was in 5th grade. “Some days are worse than others, but I know I will be out of high school soon enough so I just try to look on the bright side of things.” Her advice to anyone who is struggling with bullies is simply to just ignore it. “It’s very hard to ignore hurtful things that people say and do, but trust me, it’s the best thing that you can do, and if you have the app, delete it.”
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