(Photo: Wizz App)

Being a teen has never been easy. The pandemic's isolating impact on teenagers made it even harder. Much of today's youth spent two to three of their crucial developmental years distanced from social circles, missing opportunities to connect with peers and sharpen the social skills that build self-esteem. 

Of course, teen loneliness is an issue that precedes the pandemic and has been impacting teens for years. Recent studies indicate that the percentage of online teens (ages 13-17) has doubled since 2015, with 95% of them using social media and over half finding it challenging to disconnect. 

To feed their desire to socialize with others their age, many teens turn to social media apps like the Wizz app, which offers a lifeline to alleviate their loneliness by connecting them with others who are also online.  

While the downside of excessive screen time is well-documented, technology can also be a source of solace. It enables people to maintain connections, find communities, and share experiences- often filling social voids that can lend to the loneliness that teens often experience. Virtual connections, though not a perfect substitute for physical ones, can provide social and emotional support, sometimes even enhancing one's mental well-being.

Since its launch in 2019, the Wizz app has played a vital role in helping teenagers and other users build new friendships, boost self-esteem, tackle social anxiety, combat introversion, and alleviate boredom and loneliness. With 16 million downloads and 1.5 million daily active users, it's clear that Wizz has struck a chord with its target audience.

The Wizz app has emerged as a beacon of light for teens who want to express themselves freely and sharpen their social skills in an interactive, safe space. Countless teens now look to the app to connect with new friends, find communities, and even forge lifelong friendships. With the ability to start up real-time conversations at any time, it's akin to having a friend-or several-at your fingertips.  All of this comes together to positively impact the lives of teenagers, dispel loneliness, and help them create deeper connections to the world.

Here are five of the ways that the Wizz app is helping teens combat loneliness:

1. You can meet new friends and have conversations right away.

Wizz takes a unique approach to connecting people; it pairs individuals who are both active on the app simultaneously. By removing the obstacles that typically delay connections-namely, users being offline for extended periods of time or interfaces that lend to more formal conversational formats-Wizz significantly boosts the odds of real-time interactions and the creation of new, meaningful friendships. 

It's important to note that Wizz is not a dating app-it's a social media network tailored to teens. It doesn't intentionally match people based on their geographic location or encourage them to meet offline. Wizz's mission is to 'expand users' worlds' by connecting them to peers, both within their country and around the world. This way, they can have conversations that feel familiar, as well as those that give them a chance to discover the unexpected.

2. Shy or introverted? The Wizz app provides easy ways to break the ice and start new conversations.

The Wizz app has introduced different ways for even the shyest people to spark up conversations with future friends. Users can swipe through profiles of people currently online to discover users with similar interests or vibes. This gives them a natural starting point for a conversation that's bound to be well-received. 

Because the "Chat Live" feature is such a prominent part of the Wizz App experience, users can rest assured that everyone online is actively open to having conversations. This takes the pressure off of those who fear reaching out to someone new, only to find out they aren't in the mood to talk. From our experience, everyone is in the mood to chat on Wizz.

This makes it a non-threatening, safe space for teens who want to break out of their shells and speak to new people. It's worth mentioning that since users can chat with people from around the world, those who are more timid might find it easier to bond with people who don't live in their city or go to the same school. Being able to express themselves freely with someone they aren't likely to run into in real life is a way of getting more comfortable in social situations and building confidence.

3. Find and create your tribes. 

Wizz enhances user profiles with badges that highlight their interests. Badges help other users and the app's algorithm identify the topics and activities that are dear to each individual. This community-building feature empowers teens to easily locate various friend groups that align with their interests.

For example, if you're a gaming enthusiast, you can effortlessly connect with others who share your passion for games like Fortnite, Roblox, Valorant, and others. Wizz also hosts communities centered around diverse views and hobbies. Currently, the top five communities on the Wizz app revolve around cat lovers, basketball fans, Roblox enthusiasts, anime aficionados, and avid gamers.

Finding or forming your tribe can substantially increase engagement and promote confidence, thereby reducing feelings of loneliness. Wizz seeks to make it easier for teens to connect virtually and nurture these connections.

4. A safe place to build confidence.

Wizz was conceived as a safe haven for teens to express themselves and bolster their self-esteem along the way. Recognizing the potentially adverse effects of social media, the creators of Wizz deliberately rejected features such as "likes" or any other form of popularity-based rankings that often lead teens to compare themselves and feel insecure. These comparisons may lead them to withdraw from the world instead of embracing it.

Also, in contrast to other platforms, Wizz doesn't require users to chase external validation to the extent that their self-worth becomes synonymous with their content's performance. The social media app alleviates the pressure on teens to assess themselves based on how their content stacks up against their peers. They can concentrate on building an authentic identity and cultivating more meaningful connections rather than fixating on the number of likes or views on their posts.

In a recent interview with Grit Daily, Gautier Gédoux, co-founder of Wizz, said that the team prioritized making a social media app that's a safe place filled with age-appropriate content where teens can share their opinions without being judged by people outside of their immediate age range (plus or minus one year). 

The Wizz app features one of the most robust content moderation systems globally, maintaining stringent user behavior and content quality standards. It uses third-party moderation partners such as Besedo and Sight Engine, whose advanced AI-based solutions prevent offending content before it happens. They eliminate content and behaviors considered universally offensive or inappropriate, like depictions of violence, hate speech, and explicit content. 

5. Fight off boredom. Forget that you're alone by being together with friends.

Wizz acts as a hub for teens to explore new music, exchange gaming tips, and assist peers with everyday challenges, all while nurturing the friendships they've formed. User feedback about the app even inspired a recent Wizz ad campaign that reminds teens that they're never alone when they have a world of friends at their fingertips. This echoes the app's profound impact on its demographic, which transcends the basic entertainment value of other popular apps. From forging new friendships to boosting self-esteem and providing a virtual community for shared experiences, Wizz focuses on creating meaning as well as fun.

Countless users have credited Wizz with helping them feel less lonely, as they've found new friends to confide in, get advice from, and share their experiences with. The app has truly become a secure space for teens to open up, communicate more effectively, and feel less self-conscious, ultimately fostering greater self-confidence.

Moreover, Wizz has evolved into a platform where users can learn about different cultures and engage with communities that align with their interests, whether they're seeking gaming teammates or broader perspectives on a variety of subjects.

Conclusion

Teens don't have a lot of safe spaces that are exclusively made for them. Fortunately, an app like Wizz exists to provide a virtual environment where its primary users, ages 13 to 21, can interact freely, build self-confidence, discover new people, and form a community whose interests, views, or hobbies align with their own. Now, even in times when they do feel lonely, they have friends to confide in to make them feel less alone.