Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

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Parents' Guide to

Hoop.

By Amanda Bindel, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Gimmicky tool for connecting with Snapchatting strangers.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android Free Social Networking
Hoop. Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Hoop App Screenshot #1
  • Hoop App Screenshot #2
  • Hoop App Screenshot #3
  • Hoop App Screenshot #4
  • Hoop App Screenshot #5

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 4 parent reviews

krismom
krismom Parent of 14-year-old
July 28, 2022
age 18+

Dangerous

So dangerous!!!! My daughter used this app and thought she was making friends with a girl. It was a man who coerced her into sending a picture of herself then tried to blackmail her. To the kids saying this app is safe and fun, think again. She thought she was making a new friend with a girl her age. She learned the hard way how wrong she was.
Mr_Lucifer
Mr_Lucifer Adult
January 9, 2022
age 18+

USER BEWARE!!!

Even though I have rated this as 18+ if I could I would rate it to no one and I shall tell you why.. This app is full of scammers and adult industry workers (politely put) I have had 2 people try to scam me in less than 24hrs when I call them out on it they run faster than a kitten being chased by a dog something needs doing about this issue cause there are alot of people especially the younger members who are open to scams and not aware of the implications it can cause them and their families financially or otherwise. avoid this app at all cost please stay safe and keep your family safe.
See all 4 parent reviews

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
Learn more about our privacy ratings

What’s It About?

HOOP. connects with the popular social media app Snapchat to help users make new friends. Users first allow Hoop. to access their Snapchat account, and it automatically connects with the account logged in on that device. They then set up a profile including their age, gender, and pictures. From there, others on the app view their information, and if interested, tap the Snapchat icon to request their username. If not interested, they simply hit the red "X" and move on to the next candidate. Once they've exchanged Snap info, the rest of the conversation happens in Snapchat. There's no chat in Hoop., and location information isn't included -- though some users put it on their profile image or bio. Teens earn points for logging in daily, sharing their Snap, getting Snap friends to join Hoop., and taking surveys.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (5 ):

What could be wrong with an app that makes it easy for teens to share personal information with strangers? Hoop. asks permission to connect to a user's Snapchat account, so it has access to that personal information. Still it has users choose an age when creating their Hoop. profile -- definitely a potential safety risk. Within moments of logging on, teens will find dozens of requests to share their Snap username. And they'll be rewarded with points for sharing their Snap with a stranger. Hoop. also incorporates a points system with diamonds, rewarding teens for logging in daily and completing other tasks, similar to Snapstreaks, which have been shown to lead to anxiety and compulsion. Teens are also encouraged to take surveys, which can collect a lot of user data. All in all, there's just not much good that can come of Hoop.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about safe ways to meet new people other than apps like Hoop.

  • What are your family's expectations about adding followers on social media? Do you have to have mutual friends? Should you have met in person?

App Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

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