Scottish MP calls for ban on app acting as ‘magnet for predators'
A Scottish Labour MP has called for an urgent ban on social media app Wizz, after it was associated with child grooming and exploitation.
Gregor Poynton said the app was “clearly a magnet for predators” and called for it to be blocked in the UK.
Wizz is an online platform where teenagers can “connect with like-minded peers”, according to its website.
Poynton, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for children’s online safety, said: “Wizz is clearly a magnet for predators, a place where abuse is already happening. It’s not enough to tweak the technology or add disclaimers. There is no legitimate purpose for an app like this. It should be banned.”
His remarks come after an LBC investigation found the app doesn't have effective age checks in place or measures to block harmful content for those under the age of 18 – both duties the site must comply with following the implementation of the Online Safety Act (OSA).
A LBC reporter was able to bypass the app’s age restrictions by posing as a 16-year-old, despite in reality being six years older.
Speaking to LBC, Poynton said: “The fact that your 22-year-old reporter could so easily pose as a teenager and access hundreds of children’s profiles just shows that the protections are not worth the paper they’re written on.
“These apps serve no positive purpose. They don’t enrich lives – they endanger them. Enough is enough.”
At least two UK child sexual abuse cases have been linked to the platform. In June Shabaz Hussain, 23, was sentenced to nine years for a string of child sex offences. Wizz was the tool he used to groom his 12-year-old victim. And, north of the border, dentist Steven MacMillan also used the app to target a 13-year-old girl.
Friday marked the deadline for tech firms to adhere to Ofcom’s children online safety measures – a major step in its duty to implement the OSA. Among the measures apps must now comply with are having appropriate age checks in place as well as measures to prevent children from accessing harmful content such as porn and material encouraging self-harm. Algorithms must also be reconfigured to ensure they don't feed children toxic content, including dangerous stunts and hate speech.
The Wizz app claims it restricts interactions to users of similar ages and has facial recognition tools in place to verify a potential user's age. However, the LBC investigation showed that the age check technique may not be effective enough, meaning the site could be at risk of facing a fine of up to £18m and in the most serious case blocked in the UK, if Ofcom decides to open an investigation into the platform.
It would not be the first time Wizz is taken off online stores over concerns of sextortion. In 2024, Google and Apple removed the app from their online stores following concerns raised by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
However the app was later reinstated after new protections were introduced.
“Our lives are no longer split between the online and offline world – and the harm done online can be just as devastating,” Poynton said. “We’ve now got some of the toughest laws anywhere in the world to protect kids online. But enforcement has to match ambition – and when apps like this fail to act, they should be banned.”
The measures come into force amid an ongoing row between ministers and campaigners over the effectiveness of the OSA. Parents of bereaved children argue the legislation doesn’t go far enough.
Poynton confirmed he would work cross-party in the autumn to review loopholes in the legislation, particularly regarding emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
“Tech moves fast – but our response must be faster. If fines aren’t enough, we’ll legislate again. We owe it to our children to keep them safe”, Poynton said.
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