“I tried to Facetime campus police last night.”
“It’s like a battle between country music and coon tunes at the West Pool.”
“White Power.”
These are just a few of the many controversial statements being posted on the relatively new app, “Yik Yak.”
Apps that give users an anonymous platform have grown over the past few years, but students are advised to use caution when posting on “Yik Yak.”
Several cases of inappropriate language and comments have been reported on college campuses, and high school students are in on the trend as well.  
In a report published on CNN.com, cofounder Brook Buffington said that Yik Yak began as an app targeted toward college students. 
The purpose of the app was to serve as a virtual Twitter for college campuses.
College campuses are much larger than the high school arena, which makes it easier for students to be directly pin-pointed. 
This has caused considerable distress on students targeted on the Yik Yak app.
According to abclocalgo.com, Whitney M. Young High School, located in Chicago, Illinois, banned the Yik Yak app after several incidents were reported. 
Whitney Young highschool student, Rachel Brown, stepped forward to admit she saw someone being “ragged” on for being a victim of rape.
Administrators banned the use of the app and blocked access to it by placing a filter on the schools networks.
School districts in Texas have also banned the app to students and administrators. 
Yik Yak received letters from parents as well as school officials asking that something be done about the indecency on the forum.
Yik Yak responded by allowing districts to sign-up and have the school barred from the service.
Parents are also encouraged by Yik Yak to visit the app’s website, www.yikyakapp.com.
Founders of the app told KXAN, a Texas news station,  the app was created “to provide users with a forum for positive, hyper-local interactions.”
Mississippi State University senior, Jalisa McGaha, said she is both  a user and critic of the app.
“I just downloaded the app last week and personally witnessed racist comments just scrolling,” McGaha said.
Speculation surrounding the apps’ “anonymity” feature has surfaced as the leading cause of major issues.
McGaha said she agrees the app is the cause of major issues.
“I definitely think that the anonymity is the reason why there is so much hate speech because you can virtually get away with anything as long as you aren’t talking about committing a crime,” McGaha said.   
According to a report in the Hattiesburg American, The University of Southern Mississippi recently completed an arrest after Brandon Hardin was reported for posting a threat via Yik Yak. 
20 year old Hardin, a business major at the college, is being charged with posting a computer threat to cause injury.
This form of Internet posting is classified as a felony offense.
McGaha said she thinks Yik Yak is particularly cruel to minorities.
“Mostly the hate speech is bringing all minorities down,” McGaha said. 
“I don’t think they’d post if it wasn’t anonymous.” 
Although Yik Yak has its positive features, students of all ages should exercise good judgment when posting