Rape Charges Force Skout to Suspend Teen App

The popular flirting app Skout is suspending its teen community following reports of three child-rape charges that were allegedly initiated on the site.

Skout founder and CEO Christian Wiklund announced the temporary suspension Tuesday in a blog post.

"The safety of our community is our #1 concern.  About a year ago, we noticed that a number of underage users were entering the 18+ community," Wiklund wrote. "So, we thought long and hard about how to set up a safe network for teens and decided to broaden our reach to be more than just a dating app.  Since then, we’ve grown to become one of the largest mobile networks for meeting new people."

But the decision to suspend the site came after local news reports said that a 12, 13 and 15-year-old accused three men of raping them.

The story alleged that the men posed as teenagers on Skout to meet the teens.

Skout allows Android and iOS users to download an app and socialize with others in their general area. But for protection, the app does not disclose a user's exact location.

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