Common Sense Media Review
Invasive app focuses on objectification.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Hot or Not
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 7 parent reviews
Based on 5 kid reviews
Privacy Rating Warning
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
What's It About?
After going through a surprisingly thorough sign-up process, users can rate others as "hot" or "not." They'll swipe through another user's portfolio of pictures and will also see how many interests and friends they have in common. Once they've made up their mind, users just tap a heart sign or an "x" to rank them. From there, it's onto the next person. It's possible to filter users by age range and sex, but you cannot skip a user. Tapping the "i" button in the lower right portion of the screen pulls up their location (by city) as well as other information they've provided. Should two users rate each other as "hot," they can chat via messages.
Is It Any Good?
It's hard to know where to start when listing the problems with Hot or Not. Its focus on objectifying other people is hardly new -- the sister website has been around for years -- but it has gotten no less offensive. The signup process is especially invasive, requiring you to supply a valid email address or give the app access to your Facebook account -- and a working cell phone number to send you a validation code. The potential for trouble in unmoderated messages is immense. And, while the app might say teens can't interact with adults, there's no age verification.
There does seem to be some moderation of pictures -- as we were unable to find any nudity, though the app does warn it might appear infrequently. But even with that, it's still an inappropriate choice for kids.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
What kind of information is safe to share on social networks.
Families can also talk about whether it's a good idea to judge people based solely on their appearance.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android , Kindle Fire
- Pricing structure : Free
- Release date : December 2, 2013
- Genre : Social Networking
- Version : 2.4.1
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 7.0 or later; Android varies by device
- Last updated : August 9, 2021
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate