If Your Kid Is on Zepeto, Read This Mom’s Warning

A Texas mom wants parents to check their kids’ phones for an app called Zepeto and delete it immediately. Her biggest concern? The app has a private messaging feature that can lead to inappropriate conversations with predators. 

The mom, who isn’t revealing her name for privacy concerns, also shared an emotional plea that’s since gone viral on TikTok, where she posts as @theanxiouslegomom. She says she didn’t think anything of it when her daughter asked for the app several months ago.

“Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I’m noticing she is on this app far more than her other ones, including Roblox,” she tells Parents. “So I go through her phone and the app and find messages on there of a man asking her age. The profile picture looked like a younger kid, maybe no older than a teenager.” 

It gets worse: “He continues to ask if she has ever had sex, asking for photos of her, and sending inappropriate pictures as well,” the mom shares of her 12-year-old’s experience.

Luckily, her daughter didn’t respond. “She truly just wanted to play the game,” the mother says. “While others may see this as no big deal, it’s a major deal to me. This could have gone south and I wanted other parents to know.”

What Is Zepeto?

Founded in 2018, Zepeto is a Korean metaverse-type social app where you can create a 3D avatar, play games, and hang out in virtual worlds. You can chat with people, explore different worlds, and even personalize your avatar with clothes, physical features, and more. 

“Think of it like a mix between Roblox and Facebook,” says Titania Jordan, Bark Technologies’ Chief Parent Officer and author of Parental Control. “It may be relatively unknown in the U.S., but it’s wildly popular in Asia, boasting 300 million users.” 

The app is officially rated 12+ on the App Store and “teen” on Google Play. But Bark doesn’t think it’s appropriate for kids under 15.

Is Zepeto Safe?

There are a few red flags that parents should know when it comes to their children using the app.

“Since a lot of the content is user-generated, there’s always a chance of running into stuff that’s not exactly kid-friendly—like suggestive avatars or mature-themed rooms,” says Jordan. “Like Roblox, there is content similar to ‘condo games’ where avatars simulate romance and sex, like in the ‘penthouse.’”

Back to that chat feature on Zepeto. It creates a high likelihood that kids could end up talking to people they don’t know. “This raises concerns about running into inappropriate content, potential grooming, and even cyberbullying,” says Jordan.

Since making her video, which has more than 13.9 million views, the Tiktok mom says she’s had parents reach out to share their own scary stories. “There is blackmail, actual meetups, and one of them is dealing with their 12-year-old being abused,” the mom says. “It’s sickening and I had no idea how deep this could have gone until I made the video.”

Another problem is it’s far too easy to bypass age limits, Jordan points out, saying, “Even though the app is rated for teens, younger kids can still make accounts pretty easily, which means they might be exposed to things they aren’t ready for.”

Dangers of virtual reality

David Acosta, co-founder and chief artificial intelligence officer at the AI-powered data platform ARBOai, also finds the app dangerous because of its features. “It is built on the same concept of Sims and Second Life, but now with VR and interoperable metaverse options, it’s going to become a more robust experience, which can be bad for kids,” he says. 

He explains that Gen Z—those born between 1997 and 2012—are already noted as being a desensitized and introverted group and apps like Zepeto may escalate that. “It’s not to say that tech and leisure/fun shouldn’t be had but this is where parenting becomes so critical as it’s what kids do in their spare time that shapes their futures,” says Acosta.

For younger kids, he says the same applies but adds that they’re typically more impressionable and may have a hard time understanding what is real and what is not.

“More education is needed, especially for parents, on the power that tech is capable of having over their children,” Acosta says. “It’s not the app so much as it is the concept of extended reality. As an advocate of simulations and AI, I think we all have immense responsibility to roll out the tech with caution and not dive in headfirst.”

Parents reached out to Zepeto but didn’t receive a response at the time of the publication. 

What Can Parents Do?

Many of the above concerns aren’t exclusive to just Zepeto. Jordan suggests a number of ways parents can make sure their children are safe online.

• Adjust privacy settings. Make sure chats are locked down so children are not talking to random strangers. Also, remind them not to share personal info. Parental controls like Bark can be used to block the app completely, or at the very least, limit the amount of time a child is on it.
• Talk about online safety. Have an open conversation about what’s safe to share online and what to do if something makes your child uncomfortable. The TikTok mom highlights this point. “Talking to your kids and their peers is so important,” she says.
• Decide if it’s right for them. If your child is under 15, it might be best to hold off on letting them use Zepeto until they’re older and can handle online interactions more responsibly. The same goes for any app they are showing interest in.