Social groups demand more education about technology

Dec 6, 2011 13:47 GMT  ·  By

Developer Dapper Gentlemen says he’s grinning over the controversy spurred by its Ugly Meter iPhone app which cyber-bullying experts have deemed as ‘hurtful’.

Unlike other developers who play it safe whenever their software falls under Apple’s radar (and you can bet this one already has), Dapper Gentlemen feels confident that its Ugly Meter app will live on.

It has over 3 million downloads to date “and shows no sign of slowing down,” reads their announcement.

The app was meant for fun, the developer says. It allows you to scan someone’s face and generate derogatory and hurtful comments based on your “ugliness score.”

While people in their mid twenties might find it harmless, teenagers with low self esteem may be truly affected by the app, social groups say.

School bullies are already using it for such purposes, according to reports, and wouldn’t you know it, the latest update to the app adds a Bully Mode.

Stephen Balkam, CEO of Washington-based Family Online Safety Institute, told the New York Post: “I can see that the guys who programmed it were having a bit of fun and all … If you’re 25, 26 or 28, this sort of thing could be quite funny or amusing. But in the hands of a 14- or 15-year-old, it could be quite the reverse.”

Dr. Gwenn O’Keeffe, author of “Cybersafe: Protecting and Empowering Kids in the Digital World of Texting, Gaming and Social Media,” agrees.

According to O’Keeffe, “There’s a fine line between teasing and razzing one another … [This app] is just hurtful. It could have crushing blows on kids with low self-esteem. There’s just nothing good that could come from an app like this.”

Awareness Technologies chimes in to issue a warning to parents, saying, “A newly released $0.99 iPhone app called ‘The Ugly Meter’ is the latest tool that creates opportunities for cyber-bullying, the online pandemic causing severe emotional and psychological pain to children across the nation …”

“… Apps like The Ugly Meter are ripe for cyberbullies to use in tormenting their peers,” said the cyber-tool development company that many parents use to monitor their child’s online activities

Although many believe such an app should be pulled outright, the Harvard Crimson posits that censorship is not the solution here. Education is, says the group.

For their part, the app’s creators responded insisting that Ugly Meter is just for fun.

Jo Overline, one of the developers, said: “All of our insults are PG-rated. We kept it pretty clean on purpose. There will always be bullies out there and we can’t control what they do. Parents need to take responsibility for their own children and stop trying to blame the media.”