What is the Zynn app?
- A free Chinese-owned video app where users watch and create content
- It’s extremely similar to TikTok
- The main difference is Zynn claims to pay its users for watching content and referring friends
- The app boasts a “massive” music library, cool stickers, and funny effects
- Videos can be shared to Instagram, Snapchat, etc.
- You don’t need an account to watch videos, but you do need an account to make a profile and earn rewards/money
- Users can “like” and comment on videos and follow (or block) other users
- Terms of Service
- Privacy Policy
Who can use Zynn?
- All new users must sign up with:
- A phone number
- Facebook account
- or Google account
- The app’s Community Guidelines state:
- Zynn is only for users ages 13+
- The company won’t provide access to the account or information about the account to anyone other than the account holder
- Parents and guardians of account holders “are responsible for educating your child on internet safety”
How is money earned on the Zynn app?
- As users scroll through the video feed, they accumulate points (each hour watched equals about $1.20)
- Users also get up to $20 for every friend they refer and a bonus $10 for every fifth friend
- To qualify for the referral money, new users must download Zynn, sign up, and continually use the app
- Referral earnings can be transferred to PayPal or cashed in for gift cards to the Apple App Store, Walmart, Amazon, etc.
- The app launched in May 2020 and already had glitches with its withdrawal feature by June
Why should parents care?
- There are concerns over how the app protects a user’s privacy and data
- There are NO content filters available on Zynn
- Since all content is user generated, videos range from cute animals and cooking to explicit song lyrics, partial nudity, and dangerous stunts
- There is NO way to make a Zynn account private
- Anything your student posts on Zynn is public
- Users can follow other users and block individual users
- The incentive to earn money on Zynn could lead to addictive behavior
What can parents do?
- Download Zynn, spend some time using it, then determine if it’s safe for your family to use
- If your student uses Zynn, ask for their username
- Teach your students to come talk to you, or a trusted adult, if they are ever contacted by a stranger or ever feel uncomfortable on Zynn
- Teach them to never share personal info in videos or comments
- Remind your student that their online activity, even under a fake username, can impact their reputation and their future
- Teach your students the dangers of participating in viral video challenges or doing anything dangerous for social media attention
- Teach students they can block individual users and mark inappropriate videos as “not interested”
Learn more about the Zynn app on the Smart Social Blog
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