Monkey was founded in 2016 by five teenage entrepreneurs from California, most notably Ben Pasternak and Isaiah Turner. Ben Pasternak, an Australian-born tech prodigy who had previously gained attention for his mobile game "Impossible Rush," dropped out of high school and moved to New York City to pursue his entrepreneurial ambitions. He partnered with Isaiah Turner, a skilled hacker and software engineer, to create an app that would revolutionize how teenagers connect online.

The app quickly gained traction among young users, experiencing explosive growth in its early years. By January 2020, Monkey had accumulated over 20 million users and facilitated more than 20 billion video calls. The platform even reached the number one position on the US App Store during its peak popularity.

In February 2018, Monkey was acquired by Holla, another social networking company, for an undisclosed amount. The app was later acquired by Jung Media LLC in 2020, which shifted focus toward enhancing safety features, gamification elements, and improving the overall Gen Z user experience.

How Monkey Works

The core functionality of Monkey centers around spontaneous, random video chat connections. When users open the app, they are presented with two main interfaces: one displaying their chat history, private messages, and profile, and another prompting them to start a video chat.

The matching process begins when users grant camera and microphone access. The platform then pairs them with random individuals based on basic parameters like location and age. The initial video chat lasts 15 seconds, after which users can choose to extend the conversation by tapping a timer, skip to the next person, or add the connection on other platforms like Snapchat.

Users can engage in either solo chats or invite friends to join them in group conversations with strangers. The platform also features a "Moments" section where users can post and view short videos, similar to social media stories.

Key Features

Free Basic Features:

• Random video chat connections lasting 15 seconds
• Text messaging capabilities
• Moments feature for sharing short videos
• Basic profile customization with mood settings and profile songs
• "Cards" feature for swiping through potential connections

Premium Subscription (Monkey Plus):

• Knock-knock feature for text-based random connections
• Duo or Group chat options
• Advanced filters for matching by age range, gender, or LGBTQ community
• Country selection for international connections
• Ad-free experience
• Unlimited matches

Additional Features:

• In-app currency (Coins) for sending virtual gifts
• "Super DM" feature for messaging previous matches
• Recent connections list for revisiting past chats

Platform Availability

Monkey is currently accessible through multiple channels. The mobile app remains available on the Google Play Store for Android users, where it has accumulated millions of downloads. However, it was notably removed from Apple's App Store several years ago due to safety concerns, particularly regarding the protection of minors. The platform can also be accessed via web browsers on desktop and mobile devices.

Safety Concerns and Controversies

The platform has faced substantial criticism regarding user safety, particularly for minors. Multiple safety organizations and parenting groups have raised red flags about the risks associated with Monkey.

Documented Safety Issues:

An investigation by The Washington Post revealed that approximately 2% of iOS reviews for Monkey contained accounts of unwanted sexual experiences. The report highlighted concerns about sexual content targeting minors, leading various outlets to describe the platform as inappropriate for teenagers.

UK-based organization Safer Schools issued an urgent safeguarding alert calling Monkey "extremely dangerous." The iNECE Safeguarding Group similarly warned that the platform poses serious risks to young users. Independent testing by online safety experts discovered significant amounts of inappropriate, disturbing, and harmful content transmitted through the platform's video cameras.

Specific Risk Factors:

The platform requires users to be 18 or older according to its terms of service, but there is no age verification process in place. Users simply input their date of birth during registration, with nothing preventing minors from entering false information to access the service.

The random matching system means users have no control over who they encounter, potentially exposing them to inappropriate content including pornography, violence, drug use, and other adult material. Predators can use the platform for grooming purposes, either during video chats or by convincing young users to continue conversations on other messaging platforms.

The brief 15-second initial connection window allows bad actors to quickly display inappropriate content and skip to the next user before being reported, making content moderation challenging.

Safety Measures Implemented:

To the platform's credit, Monkey has implemented several safety features, though their effectiveness remains debated. The app employs machine learning technology to detect sexual content and policy violations. A 24/7 human moderation team reviews user reports within 24 hours. Users can report inappropriate content by pressing a police emoji icon during video chats.

The platform's community guidelines explicitly prohibit nudity, violence, weaponry, drug use, and cyberbullying. However, independent investigations have found that users frequently encounter prohibited content within minutes of using the service, suggesting that preventative measures are insufficient even if reactive moderation exists.

Privacy Considerations:

On the privacy front, Monkey does not display users' phone numbers, and full names are optional, providing some level of anonymity. However, this same anonymity can enable harmful behavior by making it difficult to track malicious users across sessions.

User Experience and Interface

The platform features an intuitive, mobile-first interface designed to appeal to younger users. The design emphasizes speed and spontaneity, with simple swipe gestures and tap controls for navigating between connections. Profile customization options allow users to express their personality through mood settings and auto-playing profile songs.

The video chat quality is generally reported as decent, though connection stability can vary based on users' internet speeds. The brief initial chat window creates a fast-paced, high-energy experience that some find exciting but others find superficial.

Current Status and Market Position

Following Omegle's closure in November 2023, Monkey experienced a surge in popularity as users sought alternative platforms for random video chatting. The platform's user base reportedly doubled within a month of Omegle's shutdown.

With over 30 million users worldwide, Monkey has positioned itself as one of the premier random video chat platforms, particularly among Generation Z. The platform emphasizes its role as a safer, more modern alternative to predecessors like Omegle and Chatroulette, though this claim remains controversial given ongoing safety concerns.

The platform operates under Oviedo Interactives Limited and continues to evolve with new features and improvements, including enhanced gamification elements and social discovery tools.

Conclusion

Monkey.app represents both the potential and the pitfalls of modern social networking technology. The platform successfully taps into young people's desire for spontaneous, authentic connections in an increasingly digital world. Its rapid growth and popularity demonstrate a genuine demand for this type of real-time video interaction.

However, the platform's safety record raises serious concerns that cannot be ignored. The lack of effective age verification, the ease with which inappropriate content can be shared, and documented instances of harmful interactions make it a risky environment, particularly for underage users. While the platform has implemented some safety measures, including 24/7 moderation and machine learning detection, evidence suggests these are insufficient to prevent harmful content from reaching users.

For parents, the consensus among child safety organizations is clear: children and teenagers should not use Monkey. The potential risks significantly outweigh any social benefits the platform might offer.

For adult users interested in meeting new people online, Monkey provides an experience that can be entertaining and spontaneous. However, users should approach the platform with realistic expectations about the quality of interactions and an awareness that inappropriate content is a common occurrence.

As the platform continues to evolve, the central question remains whether it can effectively balance its mission of fostering authentic human connections with the critical responsibility of protecting its users, particularly the youngest and most vulnerable members of its community. Until more robust safety measures are demonstrably effective, caution is strongly advised for anyone considering using the platform.