Women Are Anonymously Spilling Tea About Men In Their Cities On Viral App

When Cid Walker opens nan Tea app, she’s greeted by a barrage of posts astir men and their evident "red" and "green" "flags."

“He’s a cheater,” Walker said, reference immoderate of nan comments connected 1 station retired loud.

"What clubs does he spell to?" different personification asked connected a different post. "He’s cute."

The app, which appears to person been advertizing itself online since astatine slightest past fall, allows users to solicit feedback astir circumstantial men they’re dating.

Walker, 22, is among nan 4 cardinal users connected nan women-only information app, which this week became nan No. 1 free app successful nan Apple App Store.

It picked up viral traction successful nan past period aft immoderate group began talking astir it online connected Reddit and TikTok. The app gained much than 900,000 caller signups successful nan past fewer days, Tea said connected societal media. Getting disconnected nan waitlist tin now return days, an inconvenience galore caller users complained astir successful comments connected nan app's Instagram posts.

Upon opening Tea, users are presented pinch section men whose photos person been uploaded, on pinch their first names. For each of nan men, different women connected nan app tin study whether they deem him a “red flag” aliases a “green flag” and time off comments astir him, specified arsenic those recounting antagonistic day experiences aliases vouching for him arsenic a friend.

“I’ve seen truthful galore group I cognize connected nan app, it’s crazy,” said Walker, a Cleveland-area personification who joined nan app past week aft having seen aggregate viral posts astir it. “Like, ohio my God, I would ne'er deliberation each this worldly astir them.”

App users tin look up individual names successful nan hunt barroom aliases create civilization alerts for circumstantial men. The app besides offers functions that fto users tally inheritance checks, hunt for criminal histories and reverse-search photos to cheque whether a man is catfishing by utilizing personification else’s photos connected his making love profile.

The woman-only app was created by a man, Sean Cook, who said connected Tea’s website that he was inspired aft he watched his mother’s “terrifying acquisition pinch online dating,” including being catfished and unknowingly making love men pinch criminal records.

Cook’s floor plan connected LinkedIn lists him arsenic nan laminitis of Tea since 2022. The explanation nether his domiciled says, “Tea was self-funded by Sean.”

Cook did not respond to a petition for comment. A typical for Tea said nan app isn’t offering interviews astatine this time.

Tea’s ngo mirrors akin efforts that person gained fame successful different online forums, specified arsenic “Are We Dating The Same Guy?,” a Facebook organization pinch millions of members crossed nan state successful localized offshoots.

While nan communities person stated that their ngo is to support women safe, they person besides faced backlash from men online who opportunity they fearfulness being misrepresented aliases doxxed connected nan platforms.

The Facebook groups, which advertise themselves arsenic spaces for women to pass different women astir “liars, cheaters, abusers, aliases anyone who exhibits immoderate type of toxic aliases vulnerable behavior,” person for years been criticized online for devolving into places for rumors aliases for spreading imaginable misinformation astir people. Last year, judges dismissed 2 defamation lawsuits revenge successful Illinois and California by men who were posted successful nan groups.

With Tea, immoderate men person posted successful forums asking for others to study nan app successful dream of getting it unopen down, and others person expressed liking successful a men-only equivalent connected which they could talk and mock women.

One app has already tried to connection that. The Teaborn app climbed to No. 3 successful nan free apps floor plan Wednesday earlier it vanished from nan App Store.

Shortly up of its removal, nan app had rolled retired an update pinch “enhanced contented moderation and reporting tools” aft its creator condemned users for allegedly sharing revenge porn connected nan platform.

Teaborn told NBC News successful a societal media statement: “Apple conscionable removed america yesterday because Tea app doesn’t for illustration competition, but we are moving to spell backmost pinch a caller brand!”

Apple didn’t respond to a petition for comment.

Despite uncovering apps for illustration Tea entertaining, users for illustration Walker person expressed discomfort pinch nan thought of allowing truthful galore group to anonymously speak negatively astir others online.

Signing up for Tea requires users to return selfies, which nan app says are deleted aft review, to beryllium they are women. All users who get accepted are anonymous extracurricular of nan usernames they choose. Screenshots are besides blocked.

On its website, Tea describes itself arsenic “more than an app; it’s a sisterhood.” The app claims it donates 10% of its profits to nan National Domestic Violence Hotline.

A spokesperson for nan hotline didn’t instantly respond to a petition for remark Thursday.

“Together, we’re redefining modern dating,” nan app says.

Walker said that she has noticed galore users attraction much connected rumors than existent information concerns but that she believes immoderate group person recovered Tea useful for exposing superior issues for illustration abuse.

“I consciousness for illustration if group were to usage nan app really it’s expected to beryllium used, this could really prevention a batch of women from being wounded aliases harmed,” Walker said. “But astatine this point, I deliberation it’s for illustration a joke to everybody and conscionable for illustration cyberbullying.”