FriendO App Takes Off Among Middle Schoolers, Raises Concerns Among Parents

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Questions have arisen about a new quiz app called Friendo.

As CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported, the app is all the rage for many middle schoolers. But some parents say it is too risqué.

FriendO is going viral and climbing up the app store charts – garnering the attention of preteens competing to find out who their real friends are.

It requires users to be at least age 13, though some of the categories can be unlocked by inviting three friends to join and then ranking answers.

"I think it can be very dangerous because children don't really have the judgment that's necessary to discern," one woman said.

"It really creates another platform for cyberbullying," a man said.

Some FriendO categories are innocent, asking users' favorite sports or foods. But others – deemed risqué and simply called "dirty" on the app, involve questions and statements such as, "In bed I am (aggressive/passive), and, "If forced to, I'd rather watch a gross porno starring my 7th grade math teacher."

"So the gamut of the way kids use their online life -- from sexual to bullying to innocent and positive -- is huge," said psychologist Dr. Susan Bartell, "and parents have to do their best to stay on top of it, because kids have an online life that is completely hidden from their parents for the most part."

Parents, Bartell said, must be plugged into the cyberworld.

As for pressure to join FriendO, some parents weighed in.

"I try to help my kids to how they can counteract that," one woman said.

"You've got to show them by example," another said. "That's the only way they're going to learn."

It still not clear who is behind the app. CBS2 sent messages inquiring feedback from FriendO's twitter account, blog, and support email, and was still waiting for a response late Tuesday.

According to FriendO, middle school students accounted for 84 percent of the half-million downloads this month.