What's the Tea: The Tea App helps women date safely, but can be harmful to men who are posted

The Tea App is designed to help women date safely and has gained popularity among SM East students throughout October. However, the app was removed from the Apple App Store as of Oct. 21 because it violated privacy requirements, according to AppleInsider. Those with the app can still access it, but it can no longer be downloaded.

The app is intended for women 18 years or older, and only men 18 years or older can be posted. However, many SM East students under 18 have the app.

A face verification process that takes about three days is required for everyone who downloads it to ensure that they are female. The app allows women to anonymously post men, asking for information about someone they’re in a relationship with or considering dating. Women can also add red or green flags to posts and comment, sharing information about men they know or have dated.

Tea also has a chat feature where women can post relationship questions and other members can comment with advice and a sex offender map. The premium version costs $14.99 a month with more features, including a criminal background check, reverse phone number search and reverse image search.

Students have mixed opinions on the app, as some appreciate how it helps women date safely, while others believe it has turned into a gossip app.

Sophomore Riley Jones* downloaded the app two weeks ago after hearing her friends talk about it but doesn’t know any students who use the app for its intended purpose.

“I feel like it's mostly gossip, but also, just for sh*ts and giggles and stuff,” Jones said. “And a lot of my friends and a lot of people I know, they literally just use it to laugh at it.”

Sophomore Desi Perry learned that he was posted on the app anonymously and has received 24 green flags, four red flags and 15 comments. The majority of the comments were positive; however, he wonders about the four red flags he’s received.

“I feel like [Tea] is not getting enough backlash [and] I feel like it's really immature,” Perry said. “It's a little pushy. There's some opinions on me that I wish people didn't have. It doesn't feel good knowing that four people don't think you're a good person.”

Perry is 16 years old and was posted in violation of the 18-year limit. Jones has noticed that half of the people posted on the app are under the age of 18, and some are far younger. She has seen posts of middle schoolers, freshman and sophomore boys.

Tea allows users to filter the location, distance and age range of people who are posted. When setting the filter on the app to anyone posted within a 100-mile radius of Prairie Village and 18 years old, nearly half of the 29 entries that come up are men under the age of 18.

Sophomore Madelyn Keene posted someone that she and her friend knew to see if anyone on the app had any “tea” about him and would comment.

The post received 30 comments and many red flags, revealing information she didn’t know.

“We posted this guy on it that we know just to see if other people would know who he is,” Keene said. “And I think that's what everyone does. It's just to see what people will say about them because no one knows that you posted it, and guys can't get the app.”

One of the rules for girls with the app is that all posts and comments must be true. However, according to Jones, people have commented false statements about men. One of Perry’s friends was posted and received 65 red flags because of an untrue rumor that circulated last year, according to Perry.

“I feel like just because of that one rumor, it ruined people's perspective on him," Perry said. "The Tea App can grow that perspective to even more people who are unaware. So it's just like a gossip center."

Keene echoes this idea and mainly sees the app as a form of entertainment. She views the app as just a trend that will disappear in a few months.

“I think it’s just a thing right now and it'll go away,” Keene said. “It's a trend and then no one will post on it in a couple months, and it won't be a thing anymore.”

In an Instagram poll of 157 students, 126 responded saying they think the app is overall negative. Perry urges any girl on the app to only use it positively.

“There's no good outcome of shaming someone just because of your [opinions],” Perry said. “I mean, it can grow real big, real fast, like my friend’s [post] did, and just if you're gonna use it, be positive. If you don't have anything good to say, just don't say it at all.”