Vent
A guide for families with key information about 'Vent’, including the age rating, key terminology, risks and instructions for enabling parental controls and safety settings.
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Vent is a social media app that launched in 2015 which allows users to post their innermost thoughts into the public sphere for others to react to. Vent is advertised as a ‘social diary’, where users can express themselves and share their true feelings online, generating an endless feed of user’s ‘Vents’. Within the app, users can pick a mood from a list of emotion packs and attach their ‘Vents’, posting either publicly or to a closed group of selected users. The app is available free on Android and iOS, although users are prompted to subscribe to the upgraded use of the app for £2.99 a month for additional features. Vent has over a million users worldwide.
Official age rating
The minimum age for Vent users is 16, however it does not have any rigorous age verification methods.
The Apple App store rates Vent as ‘Mature 17+’ whilst Google Play rates it as ‘Parental Guidance recommended.’
All accounts on Vent default to public setting, where content can be viewed by any other user on the platform.
Find out more about age ratings in our ‘A parent and carer’s guide to age ratings of apps and games’.
How children and young people use the app
Vent is popular with young people who enjoy being able use the app to explore their identity. Vent allows users to design an anonymous profile and share how they are feeling in that moment. As per Vent’s tagline, ‘Express yourself freely’, users are encouraged to share how they truly feel on the app, whether this be positive or negative. Young people embrace this tagline, sharing thoughts ranging from wanting to go home and take a nap to recollecting a past event and sharing their reflection with others. Users can also support each other with the content they post and leave words of encouragement in a comment, or quickly react with an emoji or other pre-set reactions.
However, these features also encourage users to share very personal struggles, such as thoughts of suicide, alcoholism, eating disorders, or drug addiction, which may be confusing or upsetting for young people to read. It should be stressed that, whilst the community may be very supportive of these struggles, these users are not trained professionals and should not be seen as a replacement for professional or reputable mental wellness services.
Key features and terminology
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This refers to a user’s post. Before posting, users need to select a ‘mood’ option, which will determine the reaction buttons that others can use to react to a ‘Vent’. There is no word limit on posts and a user selects where to post their ‘Vent’ – either public or in their own private diary which only they can access.
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Each ‘Vent’ has a mood attached to it so that users seeing it can gauge how the person is feeling. You are given a wide range of ‘Emotion sets’ such as ‘positive’, ‘sad’, ‘worried’ and ‘angry’. These moods can also be used to filter through other posts with the same emotion attached.
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These are sets of moods that you can attach to each ‘Vent’. Users can access up to 40 ‘Emotion sets’ for free, whilst other sets are locked to users who have ‘Vent Angel’, the paid for subscription service.
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Users can ‘React’ to a Vent with the pre-set reaction buttons. The reaction buttons are determined by the ‘Mood’ chosen by the user of the original post.
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This is where all of the ‘Vents’ appear on the app, appearing as a constant feed.
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This refers to the most recent public ‘Vents’ posted on the platform.
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Each user can ‘Listen’ to another user if they want to be updated on a specific users’ ‘Vents’. This function is similar to the ‘Follow’ function found on other social media platforms.
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This is the paid-for subscription service on Vent. For £2.99 a month, users can unlock stickers to reply to Vents, customise the reaction buttons of their own Vents, unlock emotion packs and add profile covers. You can also gift a one-month subscription to the ‘Vent community’.
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This means ‘Not safe for work’ so users know the post includes content which should be viewed in private. This could include content that is sexually explicit, violent or contains illegal activity. It is worth noting that it is up to the individual users to tag their posts as triggering or harmful or using this acronym.
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This is a feature of the app that provides users with articles and self-directed modules on a variety of issues they may be facing. It also provides users with the chance to track their mood over time with a rating system of 1-7. It provides users with advice on how to improve their own wellbeing as well as advice on what to do if they are facing issues such as depression, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and stress.
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Vent’s Safety Centre is where users are encouraged to check the app’s community guidelines. Users can check if there are any moderators online, sign up to become a moderator, give feedback on the app, or become a ‘buddy’. Unfortunately, it is not clear what is meant by the term ‘buddy’ so particular caution is advised with this feature.
Potential risks
Content
All the content on Vent is generated by users and while there is a moderator system and a set of community guidelines in place, the app relies on individual users to flag specific ‘Vents’ which are deemed inappropriate, making it difficult to control. This means that while there may be celebrations of things people love, the app’s push on letting users post how they ‘really feel’ also means that there is a significant risk that users can be exposed to inappropriate and harmful content. Topics such as self-harm, dangerous dieting, suicide, prostitution and drink and drug usage are referenced frequently on the app. The nature of this content, especially violent or depressive thoughts, can be upsetting or confusing to some users. By setting trigger keywords and blocking posts that are tagged with specific themes, you can restrict the type of content your child is exposed to. To learn more about setting trigger keywords and blocking posts, see the ‘Managing interactions and content’ section of this guide.
Vent also maintains a wellness centre for users to track their moods and get advice and information on any wellbeing issues they are having. Within this feature of the app, users can log their mood from one to seven (one being the worst they’ve ever felt and seven being the best) so that they can track their daily moods over time. Users are also able to use the Wellness Centre to find advice and tips on managing their emotional wellbeing. There are four main categories of articles which are: wellbeing and selfcare, sleep and wellness, stress and anxiety, and relationships. The wellbeing centre also offers users seven interactive, self-directed, learning modules. These are designed to help users who are feeling low or anxious by helping them to recognise the signs and symptoms of various issues and teaching them how to manage them. These modules include topics such as depression, social anxiety, worry, health anxiety, and PTSD that are split into short, informative articles that users can use to improve their mood.
Another feature of Vent is the Safety Centre, where users who are struggling with their mental health or are in crisis are encouraged to contact their free crisis line. According to the app developers, this service puts users in touch with volunteers who are trained to deal with urgent issues such as suicidal thought, abuse or assault, self-harm, bullying and relationship challenges. Despite assurances that this service is run and moderated by trained professionals, there is no way to verify this service. As a result, it is strongly recommended that your child speaks to a known trusted adult or trained professional if they are in crisis, rather than the service offered on the app. More information on trusted organisations and helplines can be found in the ‘Keeping Safe Online’ section of Hwb.
Connecting with others
The purpose of the app is to connect people to a community that ‘cares’. Users are encouraged to reach out to others and show their support for vents by fellow venters. Public vents can be seen by anyone on the platform, and anyone can interact with them. Users under the age of 18 can have public accounts, which means they can interact with all other users on the platform. It is recommended that your child has a private account, sharing vents with only known friends.
There is also the chance to ‘listen’ to a venter and thus have their future vents sent directly to the listener’s feed. Public accounts allow for unknown followers to ‘Listen’, presenting a risk that people can anonymously read and interact with other users. Similar to other social media platforms, users may not always be the person they are presenting as. It is important that you speak to your child about the risks of connecting with strangers. Check in with your child about their contact with online strangers, and encourage your child to tell you if they have been asked personal questions or to privately chat on another app.
The direct messaging function on Vent can also become a place where users share distressing and harmful messages to each other on a private basis. The app’s focus on anonymity also raises the issue that users may not be aware of who they are messaging. Remind your child they can block or hide messages from specific users who are sending upsetting or distressing direct messages. For more information on how to do this, go to the ‘Reporting and blocking’ section of this guide.
Whilst the platform encourages users to vent about deeply personal or sensitive issues, it is important that you speak to your child about not sharing personally identifiable information online.
User behaviour
The very nature of the app is to express innermost thoughts anonymously, which can give some users a false sense of security about sharing, feeling less accountable for the things they say in their posts and the impact this can have on other users. Users on the platform can potentially be exposed to vents that can be triggering or encourage dangerous activities such as self-harm or extreme diet plans. Encourage your child to consider whether Vent is the appropriate place to share their private thoughts and feelings, especially those which could potentially have a negative impact on other vulnerable users on the platform. Remind your child that they should always speak to a trusted adult if they are experiencing negative thoughts and encourage them to talk to you if they see content on Vent that they find upsetting, triggering or do not understand.
Vent has its own ‘Community Guidelines’ in which the developers encourage users to be considerate of others and to not post harmful, illegal, or NSFW (not safe for work) content. It also reminds users to add a trigger warning to any posts containing content around subjects of suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. It should be noted that the app moderators do not necessarily operate in real time, meaning that it is typically left to fellow users to enforce or at least to flag harmful content to moderators.
Design, data, and costs
All ‘Vents’ posted by users are displayed together in the app’s ‘Feed’. This means users can spend a significant amount of time scrolling through the seemingly endless amount of ‘Vents’ posted by others. The platform is designed to keep users engaged and it can be challenging for some users to take a break from the platform. Encourage your child to take regular break from the platform and consider enabling the ‘Take a break’ function to disable the app for a set period of time. For information on how to do this, go to the ‘Managing time and purchases’ section of this guide.
Like many other social media platforms, the ability to have your posts viewed, shared and reacted to can be a compelling feature for some users. On Vent, the function that predetermines the reaction buttons based on the post itself suggests users are expected to frequently react and interact with each other’s posts. This design feature can lead to some users becoming reliant on the volume of reactions they receive, as gratification for their ‘Vent’. Remind your child that these interactive features have been designed to keep users engaged on the platform and are not directly linked to their self-worth.
Vent is free to download, but users are frequently prompted to upgrade to the monthly subscription, called ‘Vent Angel.’ Subscribers are promised access to additional features such as unlocking additional reaction stickers or further ‘Emotion sets’. Remind your child that account subscriptions are just another way for platforms to make money from their users. It is worth checking that in-app purchase settings are disabled, to avoid accidental paid-for upgrades. For information on how to do this, go to the ‘Managing time and purchases’ section of this guide.
Tips for keeping your child safe
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All accounts default to a public setting, but users can change their accounts to ‘Private’ using the settings menu.
To set your account to private:
- go to settings by selecting the profile icon in the bottom right-hand corner
- choose the gear icon labelled ‘Settings’
- toggle ‘Set account to private’ - the toggle will switch from grey to pink to indicate it is now private
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Vent offers several options for users to block triggering content, which will prevent the user from seeing tagged posts regarding subjects that they may find upsetting. Users can also manage the users they see posts from, with options to ‘hide’ or ‘snooze’ other users.
To set ‘Trigger warnings’:
- open the user menu by selecting the person icon on the bottom right of the screen
- select ‘Settings’ and scroll to ‘Set trigger categories’
- choose from the following categories:
- sexual
- violence
- self-harm
- dieting
- after trigger categories have been selected, select the back button
- select ‘Turn off triggering posts’ to prevent them from showing up on users’ feeds
To ‘Hide’ or ‘Snooze’ other users:
- open the user’s profile by clicking on their username
- select the three dots icon at the top right of their profile
- choose from the following options:
- hide this user
- snooze this user
- block this user
To move all posts to private:
- go to the ‘Settings’ menu by selectin the gear icon
- scroll down to the ‘Danger zone’ heading
- select ‘Move all posts to private’
- choose ‘Yes’ on the box that pops up to confirm choice
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Users can report and block other users who may be bothering them or behaving inappropriately on the platform. Users can also flag Vents to the app moderators to review.
To flag a user:
- open the user’s profile by clicking on their username
- select the three dots icon at the top right of the screen
- select ‘Flag this user’ and choose the reason for flagging from the list provided.
To flag a direct message:
- select the settings icon in the top right of the messaging thread
- choose 'Report user'
- select the reason for flagging the conversation and confirm selection
To block a user:
- open the user’s profile by clicking on their username
- select the three dots icon at the top right of the screen
- select ‘Block this user’
To flag a Vent to app moderators:
- open the post and select the three dots icon on the top right of the screen
- choose the reason for flagging from the following list:
- I’m not interested in this content
- this content is abusive, harmful or toxic
- overly promotional
- the content displays nudity
- this feels inappropriate for vent
- it’s low quality content
- it expresses intentions of self-harm or suicide
- other
- you will not be notified of any further action
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Vent has a few tools available to help users manage their time and purchases on the platform, including managing notifications and ‘Take a break’ functions. ‘Take a break’ will lock the app for 8 hours so that users can enjoy some time away from it. You can also set a break reminder for the app to notify you every 10, 20 or 30 minutes you spend on the app and remind you to take a break.
To manage notifications:
- on the app, go to the ‘Settings’ menu by selecting the gear icon
- scroll to ‘Notifications’ and select ‘Preferences’
- choose the relevant notifications you wish to receive by toggling on the option
There is also the option to ‘Pause all notifications’ which will stop all notifications until you deselect this option.
To enable ‘Take a break’:
- on the app, go to the ‘Settings’ menu by selecting the gear icon
- scroll to ‘Wellbeing’ and select the ‘Take a break’ option
- this will pause the app for 8 hours
To set a break reminder:
- on the app, go to settings by selecting the gear icon
- select 'Break reminder' under the wellbeing heading
- select the amount of time you want between each reminder from the following options:
- every 10 minutes
- every 20 minutes
- every 30 minutes
- never
To manage purchases (Android):
- go to your Google Play Store app
- select ‘Menu’ and scroll to ‘Settings’
- choose the ‘Require authentication for purchases’ option
To manage purchases (iOS):
- open the ‘Settings’ app
- find ‘Screen time’ and scroll to ‘Content and privacy restrictions’
- select ‘iTunes and App Store purchases’ and set the option to ‘Don’t allow’
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When your account is deactivated, all of your user information is kept but it is not visible on the platform. You can reactivate your account at any time to restore all of your information. Account deletion means all of your information will be permanently deleted and cannot be restored. Vent users can either delete or deactivate their accounts.
To deactivate your account:
- go to the ‘Settings’ menu by selecting the gear icon
- scroll down to the ‘Danger zone’ heading
- select ‘deactivate account’ and choose ‘Okay’ on the box that pops up to confirm your choice
To delete your account:
- go to the ‘Settings’ menu by selecting the gear icon
- scroll to the ‘Danger zone’ heading
- select ‘Delete account’ and choose ‘Okay’ on the box that pops up to confirm your choice
Additional tips
Whilst Vent suggests it is a place for users to ‘express your feelings and connect with people who care’, it is also a place where younger users may be exposed to content that is not suitable for them. With many users sharing deeply personal struggles in a range of areas, including self-harm and eating disorders, it is possible that your child may encounter this type of content. As the content on Vent is not moderated consistently or efficiently, it is strongly recommended that children and young people do not use this app.