Nowadays, the world of teen social apps is constantly evolving, allowing them to interact with the world at one click. Apps like Monkey are also part of this trend, which, thanks to their anonymous nature and fun element, attracts young users. However, these apps also raise concerns for parents.
That’s why in this article, we’ll provide a detailed review of 10 apps like Monkey with Duo, along with their age rating. Plus, we’ll shed light on the risks associated with such apps and also share tips to ensure kids’ safety online.
What is the Monkey app?
Monkey is a live video chat app launched in 2016 that lets you socialize and make friends online. It connects random people, but the system uses some user data to make the randomness more meaningful and potentially more “vibe”-friendly. For your information, the Monkey app has gained popularity after the Omegle app shutdown in November 2023, and its user base doubled within a month.
Core functions:
- Random video chats: Once you start video chatting, the app instantly pairs up with the user available for almost 15 seconds. If both of you tap the Time button on the screen, the video chat will continue. Otherwise, you’ll automatically reconnect to a new user for a new 15-second chat.
- Text chat: In addiiton ot face-to-face chatting, you can also enjoy the text-based mode for messaging strangers.
- Moments / Stories: It also lets you share small stories with others, just like Instagram.
- Filters and matching options: If you subscribe to its premium version, you can filter users by gender or by those you like.
- Virtual gifts/in-app currency: It also lets you send gifts with coins, but they cost real money.
Platform status:
It’s available to download from the Google Play Store or via a web browser. However, this app has been removed from the App Store due to safety concerns, including exposure to inappropriate content and a weak age verification system.
Know the apps. Guide the journey. Protect the child with wisdom and tools.
Top 10 chat apps like Monkey parents should be aware of
Monkey app isn’t the only one that lets you connect with strangers online. Honestly speaking! There are many similar apps that offer random video or text chats; most are especially designed for adult usage. That’s why, as a parent, you must be familiar with the chat apps your teens may use and take proactive measures to block them. Let’s dive in!
OmeTV
Age rating: Age 18+
OmeTV is a free video chat platform similar to Monkey, allowing users to have face-to-face conversations with random people all around the world. It doesn’t even ask you to sign in, which helps it attract a wider user base.
Users can access OmeTV on a web browser or via a mobile app. However, both Google and Apple removed the app from their stores following a warning from Australia’s eSafety Commissioner.
TinyChat
Age rating: Age 18+
Compared to other random chatting services, TinyChat usually focuses more on group video chatting, making it ideal for social interaction in small groups or communities. You know it lets almost 12 users join chat rooms at once based on their interests.
Chitchat
Age rating: Age 18+
Chitchat (officially hosted at Chitchat.gg) is a modern random video chat platform designed to connect individuals worldwide. With features like interest-based matching and region filters, Chitchat.gg ensures that your chats are both relevant and engaging. It also uses AI moderation tools to filter out explicit content. However, due to its self-age reporting system, younger users can access them by entering fake dates of birth.
Chatroulette
Age rating: Age 18+
Chatroulette is a fun video chat platform; whether you’re seeking to make new friends, practice a language, or enjoy live performances, it makes it easy to engage. It’s important to note that the platform has recently improved its moderation tools and added better filters to make the experience safer and more enjoyable for everyone.
Hoop
Age rating: Age 18+
Hoop is one of the great Monkey alternative apps that helps you find new friends on Snapchat. If you are a daily Snapchat user, this platform will feel like a natural addition. You’ll just swipe through profiles, send a friend request and once it’s accepted, continue chatting through Snapchat.
Emerald Chat
Age rating: Age 18+
Emerald chat also enables you to pair up for random text or video chats based on shared interests. The amazing thing about this app is that it uses a karma system to give rewards for respectful behavior and discourage harassment. Like other live chatting platforms, it also lets you filter the users based on gender or interests, enhancing the chat experience.
Holla
Age rating: Age 18+
Next, if talking about the Holla, it also offers similar features like video chats, engaging with like-minded people, and texting. It is quick, colorful, and full of fun features like AR filters. However, it focuses more on moderation, reducing the likelihood of encountering unwanted content.
Azar
Age rating: Age 18+
Azar is best known for international chatting with more than 100 million users. So if you are curious about different cultures and want to engage with people from around the world, then its would be the ideal choice for you. It’s heavily moderated and also filled with fun visual filters to make exploring a global perspective fun.
LivU
Age rating: Age 18+
LivU is a dynamic live video software launched in 2017. It uses smart AI filters & fun video effects to make the conversations more entertaining or interactive. Owing to such features, LivU provides its users with a personalized experience with secure interaction tools, keeping things light yet interactive.
Yubo
Age rating: Age 18+
Last but not least, Yubo is also popular among adults for helping them engage with strangers through video chats or livestreams. For instance, you can join or host live streams, swipe through profiles, and chat with people in real-time.
Why are random chat apps appealing to teens?
Here are some key factors helping you to make sense of why teens are drawn towards them!
- Curiosity and exploration: At a young age, teens are always curious about socializing, relationships, and new cultures. Random chat apps give them a way to meet people worldwide at one click and see different lifestyles, hear new perspectives
- Anonymity and low pressure: Another specialty of using such apps is that they can share their feelings while staying anonymous. This way, teens can freely express themselves in front of others without fear of judgment from their social circle.
- Accessibility and convenience: Such random video chat apps are easy to download and use with simple sign-up and profile creation. As a result, teens can easily connect anytime, anywhere, making the experience more appealing compared to in-person meet-ups.
Peer Influence and Trends: Nowadays, teens always remain in contact with their friends online. If they see their peers using such apps, they will naturally join in and be part of social trends.
Potential risks of apps like Monkey for teens
Random chat apps like Monkey app offer instant social interaction & exploration, but the features that make them appealing at the same time elevate risks for teens. Here are the main risks associated with the usage of such apps for younger ones!
Stranger danger
One of the most highlighted risks associated with apps like Monkey and Omegle is interaction with strangers. Teens wouldn’t have the idea of who they are chatting with, whether they have good intentions or not. The eSafety Commissioner has warned that anonymous chat platforms are a perfect space for abuse by online predators.
Exposure to inappropriate content
Furthermore, their main focus is on adults; as a result, such random friend-making apps are often flooded with sexual content, nudity, or explicit behavior. The worst thing is that most of these apps don’t have moderation tools. Common Sense Media has conducted a study on anonymous social apps, and 47 of the apps used by teens during the study contained explicit content.
Private data sharing
Many such anonymous social media apps do not clearly explain privacy risks. This way, user content may be stored or reused without consent, leading to identity theft, doxxing, or cyberbullying.
Predatory behavior and grooming
It’s worth noting that teens mostly use such apps when, in real life, they don’t find anyone to share their feelings with. However, they don’t know that, despite their parents, no one else is sincere. When they go online, the predators mask themselves to their peers and try to manipulate teens and emotionally harm them.
As children spend more time on social media, their exposure to various risks increases. Data released by NCMEC shows that in 2023 alone, reports of “financial sextortion” reached 26,718 cases, significantly higher than the 10,731 cases reported in 2022. Its CyberTipline continues to receive a substantial volume of reports concerning online grooming, sexual exploitation, and extortion. This overwhelming data serves as a stark reminder to parents that these are not rare occurrences. There is a line to offer support: 24-Hour Call Center: 1-800-843-5678
How can parents tell if teens use Monkey-like apps?
Apps like Monkey for adults can be tricky for parents to detect because teens often hide them. To help you in this regard, here are some strategies that may help you understand whether your kid might be using such apps or not.
Look for clues
Your kids’ behaviour would give you clear hints about whether they are using teen social apps. For instance:
- Sudden increases in screen time, especially late at night
- Quickly closing apps, deleting history, or clearing recent tabs
- Frequent use of the front camera without an obvious reason
- Unfamiliar usernames or contacts appearing on their phone
- Hidden folders or duplicate apps (e.g., “calculator vaults”)
Check app permissions and installed apps periodically
This way, you can spot the risky platforms earlier. Also, you should check for the apps that request camera, microphone, or location permissions, as these are common requirements for live video chat apps.
Use parental controls
Apart from all, a reliable and robust parental control app like FlashGet Kids will be a great assistant. It stealthily runs in the background and keeps parents 24/7 updated, protecting kids from online dangers.
- Screen mirroring: Allows you to see live what your kids are doing and with whom they are interacting.
- Usage report: Provides a detailed report on your kid’s device usage, including which apps they use most and when.
- App blocker: Restricts your kids from downloading and using dangerous random chat apps.
Parental tips for prevention and guidance
If you have already found that your kid is active on random chat apps, stay calm and take practical steps rather than reacting with fear or anger. Here are some safety tips for parents!
Encourage open conversations rather than blame
You should spend more quality time with your kids and create a safe space for them to share what they experience online. Be supportive of your child, encourage them to refuse and report any disturbing online content, or just come to you.
Encourage offline connections and hobbies
Since teens go online for fun or attention, help your kids build strong offline friendships and hobbies to prevent them from spending so much time online. For instance, you can involve them in sports, art classes, gaming clubs, or any activity they genuinely enjoy. Keep my words that when kids stay busy in their real life, they wouldn’t take any interest in going live and making online friends.
Introduce safe, supervised online communities
Additionally, set aside time from your daily routine to spend with kids. It’s a good practice to scroll together and find age-appropriate online platforms for kids. There are some safer alternatives for teens’ social connections.
- Discord (private servers with parental supervision)
- Duolingo (learning clubs)
- Roblox (with family settings)
- YouTube Kids
| What it for | Safer settings | |
| Discord | Chat with friends in interest-based groups. | Parents control server access and monitor chats. |
| Duolingo | Learning languages with fun group challenges. | Limited interaction with strangers. |
| Roblox | Play and create games with like-minded users. | Chat filters and contact restrictions keep interactions safe. |
| YouTube Kids | Watch educational and age-appropriate videos. | Strong filters and limited features reduce exposure to inappropriate content. |
Be a role model
Since kids copy what they see, when you practice balanced screen time, avoid risky online behaviour, and talk openly about internet safety, your kids naturally learn to follow the same habits.
Bottom line
From all the above discussions, we have concluded that apps like Monkey, although they are designed for social connection, raise many safety concerns for teens. That’s why, being a parent, you should openly communicate with kids and guide them towards safe online communities. Moreover, you should remain updated about the new apps and trends, so you can adopt strategies and ensure your kids remain safe online.
FAQs
Monkey app was actually banned on Apple’s App Store owing to its safety concerns. This is because it contains a risk of exposure to inappropriate content and also has a weak age verification system. And these didn’t meet Apple’s safety guidelines for minors.
Just stay calm instead of shouting, talk to them openly, and ask what happened to them. Also, teach them how to react and report the content as an example. On top of that, promote their development of critical thinking and self-protection awareness.
Both Monkey and Omegle are similar in that they connect random users via video chat. However, Monkey has added some new features like story sharing, while Omegle’s main focus is just instant one-to-one chat.
Although both Monkey and OmeTV allow random video chats, OmeTV offers stricter moderation tools and supports larger global connections. From a parental perspective, neither of these are safe for teens.
You can find reliable reviews for new teen social apps on platforms like Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely, and official app store ratings. These are specially designed to provide insights into safety, age-appropriateness and potential risks.
