Do More › Social Media 5 Anonymous Social Networking Apps to Check Out Confess your feelings and thoughts without sharing your identity Share Pin Email Print Photo © A-Digit / Getty Images Social Media Social Networks Facebook Instagram Twitter Pinterest by Elise Moreau Elise Moreau is a digital marketer, web content writer and copywriter. She has covered web trends for Lifewire and previously About.com, since 2011. Updated September 03, 2019 47 47 people found this article helpful PRODUCT DISCLOSURE $ Anonymous social networking apps allow you to interact with others and share your true thoughts and feelings without the pressure of having your identity revealed. But what's the appeal? Why Anonymous Apps Are So Popular Long ago, back before our identities were so present online via social media, it was a lot easier to remain pretty nameless and faceless on the internet. Today, however, with the range of popular social apps we use to stay in touch with friends and the mobile devices we take everywhere with us, it's pretty safe to say that being undiscoverable online is almost impossible. There's a lot of pressure that comes with posting the right status update or selfie at just the right time in order to get the most likes and the most comments these days, and that's partly why several anonymous social apps have started attracting more interest lately. It's almost as if we've come full circle with social media and we're back at the beginning again, preferring the privacy and peace of mind that we don't have to keep up with our online identities. Are These Apps Really Anonymous? Most anonymous social networking services can't guarantee to keep your activity completely private. They may not be as open as Facebook or Twitter, but most of the content people share on them is traceable or recordable in some way. If you like the sound of an anonymous app to use just for fun or are looking for apps similar to the now defunct Yik Yak, here are a few you might want to check out. Parents Parents, always educate yourself and children on the dangers of online child predators. Learn how to monitor your child's activities online (on smartphones, too!), block access to websites or disable a webcam if you are concerned about your child having access to these and other similar sites. 01 of 05 Whisper: Create Short, Visual Confessions What We Like A fun way to get stuff off your chest. More than 30 million users. Join groups with like-minded people. No user account needed. What We Don't Like Lots of ads. Not very user-friendly. Whisper is kind of like a virtual confessional booth, made for public anonymous confessions. It allows you to choose from one of their many photos and add text overlay of a confession or comment you want to put out there namelessly. You can even privately message other users you want to connect with, all while keeping your identity (and theirs) totally secret. Works With: iOS and Android 02 of 05 After School: For Teens Who Need a Safe Space What We Like Strong focus on safety and privacy. Connect anonymously within your school. What We Don't Like Must connect to Facebook. School verification required. Software bugs. After School is for the kids who aren't quite there yet. The app lets teens anonymously post anything to their school's private message board. Since users are so young, the app maintains a zero-tolerance rate for cyberbullying and incorporates a feature that lets kids chat with experts about school-related problems or anything that might be causing them stress. Works With: iOS and Android 03 of 05 Anomo: Reveal Yourself When You're Ready What We Like Have fun with avatars and games. Full control over what you reveal about yourself. Easy to use and understand. What We Don't Like Community is largely inactive. Spam bots. Hasn't been updated in a long time. No Android version. Anomo is an interesting social networking app that starts you off completely anonymous, and then gives you total choice and control to reveal certain pieces of yourself to the people you interact with. Its location-based functionality lets you chat with people nearby, or you can use the "Mingle" feature to find people based on similar interests you have. You can also chat one-on-one privately, and play fun icebreaker games if you decide you want to tell people more about yourself. Works With: iOS 04 of 05 Psst! Anonymous: Connect with Like-Minded People What We Like Messages eventually disappear forever. Anonymous and private chat. Unique security features. What We Don't Like No iOS version. User account required. Requests your current location. This app is all about helping people come together to have interesting conversations without being attached to a name, photo or any other personal information. You can freely and openly share news, opinions, secrets, confessionals, daily life experiences, photos and funny jokes with a huge community. You can alternatively privately message or text people as well, without sharing who you are. Anything you post to the community disappears after 48 hours, similar to Snapchat. Works With: Android 05 of 05 FML Official: Read Funny, Embarrassing Stories from Semi-Anonymous Users What We Like Anonymous story submissions are actually funny and entertaining. You can react, post emojis or comment on stories. New stories are posted daily. What We Don't Like App appears to take a long time to load. Its social networking profiles are not anonymous. If you follow someone, you can see their FML page by looking at their profile. FML (which stands for F*** My Life) is an entertainment website where users can read and approve/disapprove of short submissions that tell funny yet unfortunate experiences. The app makes it easier to enjoy reading about other people's embarrassing situations and even doubles as a social network. Although story submissions remain semi-anonymous (only a vague code signature name like "Love is Blind" is included), the social network part of it functions like a traditional one where you have a full profile and even an FML page where your submissions are stored. Works With: iOS and Android Be Careful with Anonymous Apps Warning PARENTAL WARNING: When people have the option to hide behind a screen and let loose, things can get a little crazy. Many apps have had to deal with serious instances involving child predators, cyberbullying, threats, stalking and other scary stuff. Use these apps with caution, and report anything you think could be considered harmful or abusive. Continue Reading