'Clearly a place where abuse is going to take place': Calls for teenage dating app to be banned in the UK

Wizz is a free social networking app for teens with millions of users. It uses a swipe mechanism to connect people across the world.

The app uses age verification technology and, in the developer's words, "provid[es] more safety features than social media networks used by adults".

Concerns are growing, however, about predators using the app to target children. In a test of the app's age verification tool, a 22-year-old LBC reporter was able to bypass the security measures and was shown profiles of children as young as 14 he could connect with.

LBC's investigation raises wider questions about the effectiveness of age verification software, with social media companies taking on additional legal responsibilities for keeping children safe online from today.

At least two cases of child sexual abuse have been linked to Wizz in the UK.

In June, Shabaz Hussain, 23, was handed a nine-year prison sentence for a string of child sex offences. He used the Wizz app to contact a child online starting when she was only 12. Over several years he manipulated her, conning her into thinking he was a child himself.

To gain the girl’s trust, he created a fake female child profile – who told his victim that Hussain would be suicidal if she ever left him.

The online grooming eventually led to Hussain arranging to travel and meet the child when she was 15, to engage in sexual activity with her under false pretenses.

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Scottish dentist Steven MacMillan also used the app to target a 13-year-old girl, sending her “graphic and disturbing” sexual voice notes.

Earlier this month, he was jailed for 20 months and put on the sex offenders' register for a decade. He’s appealing that sentence.

Wizz app developers say it limits user interactions to peers within narrow age bands, and verifies users with AI-powered facial recognition tech that is over 99.9% accurate.

Their software is developed by Yoti - which they claim is trusted by the Home Office and NHS for identity verification.

But an LBC reporter was able to get through their age gate whilst pretending to be a 16-year-old. Despite actually being 22, he was shown profiles from children as young as 14.

One even contained sexual content, with a teen saying she “didn’t send nudes straight away”, and was looking for a man with “a mustache and muscles.”

MP Gregor Poynton, who’s the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children’s Online Safety, told LBC that Wizz “is clearly going to be a place where abuse is going to take place, whether its minor-on-minor or as a magnet for bad actors."

“I do not see the purpose for [an app like this] at all."

“Age verification comes up time and time again, about being a real gap that we need to tackle. It’s the kind of area that we need to look at, and this app is towards the top of our list."

“I think it needs to be banned.”

Though later reinstated, Wizz was been taken off the Apple App Store and Google Play store in 2024 after a US charity raised concerns about children being ‘sextorted’.

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation urged Apple and Google to remove Wizz after receiving numerous reports linking the app to financial scams, with predators posing as minors to target real kids.

Concerns were raised over children being encouraged to send inappropriate photographs, and then blackmailed for money.

But after the app introduced new protections, it was restored - and children around the world have been able to download it again.

Around 300,000 users were believed to have downloaded it last month alone.

User comments on the platform's app store pages highlight further concern.

Last week, one user wrote: ‘I’ve had a very disturbing experience - a lot of users create fake profiles, pretending to be friendly or flirty only to manipulate you into sexting or sharing nudes. Once they get what they want they blackmail you, threaten to leak your photos, and try extort you for money or favors.

“The app lacks strong verification tools, and it’s way too easy for scammers to target vulnerable users. It’s not worth the risk.”

The developers said “All profiles must pass the necessary verification to be able to use Wizz and interact with other users. Wizz enforces a strict separation between adults and minors.”

They add that all content uploaded is scanned “[allowing] us to proactively identify, block, and report both known and novel instances of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), reinforcing our commitment to user safety and the protection of minors online.”

This comes as the Online Safety Bill comes into force - giving Ofcom greater powers to hold tech companies and social media giants accountable for harmful content on their platforms.

From today, some sites have to use strict age checks to stop young people seeing things like pornography, self harm and violence.

But John Carr warns that even if adults are prevented from reaching ‘children only’ online spaces - children can still fall prey to “minor-on-minor abuse.”

He told us: “Not all threats to children come from adults - other children can also be a major problem, which is why the app has to have active moderation processes, and be able to spot inappropriate conversations starting and progressing.

“This sort of thing can scar a child for life, make it impossible for them when they become adults to form or sustain normal, healthy relationships.

“That’s why we need strong laws and strong enforcement to ensure that the worst cases never happen again.”

The Wizz app told LBC: “Our comprehensive safety system places us at the forefront of industry standards.”