Common Sense Media Review
By Amanda Bindel
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Quick video-chatting with strangers for older teens only.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Monkey
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 19 parent reviews
Parents say this app has significant safety concerns, with many criticizing it for exposing children to inappropriate content and potential predators, making it a risky choice for young users. Several reviews highlight issues with slow performance, poor customer service, and inadequate age verification, alongside a few positive remarks about its engagement for some teenagers.
- safety concerns
- inappropriate content
- poor performance
- age verification issues
- mixed feedback
- user complaints
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 46 kid reviews
Kids say the app can be entertaining and a way to meet new people, but there are significant safety concerns, especially for younger users, with reports of inappropriate content and grooming activities. While some users found it fun and enjoyable, many others warned about its dangers, urging parents to intervene and monitor their children's usage to protect them from potential harm.
- safety concerns
- inappropriate content
- fun socializing
- parental monitoring
Summarized with AI
Privacy Rating Warning
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
What's It About?
With MONKEY teens connect their Snapchat accounts and can "meet" random people via video chat. To sign up, they have to share their phone number and Snapchat username and password as well as invite friends by messaging them. Friends will get a message that says, "Yo (name) someone was talking about you..." Once they're registered, opening the app starts a connection with another user. Teens will see the age, gender, and location of the connection and can accept it or skip it. If accepted, the video chat opens for 10 seconds, with the option to extend the time if both parties agree or add the connection on Snapchat.
Is It Any Good?
Because 10 seconds probably isn't long enough for teens to get to know someone well enough to invite them into a social network, this interesting video-chat tool is best for older teens only. The technology to connect with people around the world is amazing -- and fun. But teens have to be cautious of the information they share and realize that the person on the other end of the video is a stranger. The sound and video quality in Monkey are decent, and connecting is super simple. Since the app is connected to Snapchat, there never seems to be a shortage of teens eager to chat. As with so many social-networking tools, a teen's experience will depend a lot on other users' behavior. It's important to note that some users report abuse and requests for baring body parts, so it could be easy for some teens to get into trouble. There's also a mix of older and younger teens, which can be a risky recipe. In general, it works as advertised and could be a cool experience for a responsible user with thick skin, but it's no place for kids.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how teens can be safer when they're interacting with strangers using apps such as Monkey. Remind them not to give out personal information such as their full name, school, or address and to be careful that information isn't available in other public profiles.
Talk to kids about apps' privacy policies and terms of service to help them understand how their personal information can be used.
App Details
- Device : Android
- Pricing structure : Free
- Release date : February 2, 2017
- Genre : Social Networking
- Publisher : Monkey Squad, LLC.
- Version : 1.4.1
- Minimum software requirements : Android 5.0 and up
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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