Preliminary findings on ‘Walkie Talkie – All talk’ safety concerns for minors

Walkie Talkie connects minors in unmoderated chats, raising serious concerns over privacy, safety, and exposure to harmful content. Stricter safeguards are urgently needed.

Walkie Talkie – All Talk presents itself as a fun and social platform for Gen Z to connect in real-time. However, beneath its playful exterior, the app lacks essential safeguards, putting minors at significant risk. Our initial findings reveal weakly implemented age verification, random ‘chat roulette’ pairings with strangers, and inadequate moderation. As a result, children are exposed to inappropriate conversations, bullying, and potential exploitation. Policymakers, child safety advocates, and tech experts must recognise this as yet another example of an app failing to prioritise child protection in its design.

Major safety concerns include:

• Weak age verification & privacy risks.
• Exposure to harmful or inappropriate content.
• Unregulated stranger interactions and recommender system.
• Premium features & In-App purchases that worsen risks.
• Constant notifications that pull kids back.

5Rights will further investigate our concerns on the Walkie Talkie – All Talk app and continue to hold platforms accountable for their harmful design features.