Bumble For Friends – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Bumble For Friends

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

app2023

44%

WISE Score

2.9

Google Play

It's Tinder for besties—awkward, swipey, and potentially the only way to find a tennis partner who won't ghost you.

Bumble For Friends

app

Teen, 2023

44%

WISE Score

2.9

Google Play

It's Tinder for besties—awkward, swipey, and potentially the only way to find a tennis partner who won't ghost you.

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Where to Find

App Store

Google Play

Screenwise Verdict

Bumble For Friends is a solid tool for parents, but it's a hazard for kids. If you're a parent looking for a local tribe, the 2026 'Circles' update makes this much more useful than the old 1-on-1 swiping days. It feels less like a meat market and more like a community board.

However, from a digital wellness perspective, the monetization is aggressive and the 'swipe' loop is designed to be addictive. For your kids? Keep them far away. There’s no world where a teenager needs to be swiping through local adults to 'find community.' Keep your own profile locked down and enjoy the tennis matches, but don't mistake this for a safe social playground for the family.

Age Fit

This is an adult utility, not a kid's game. It's for the 18+ crowd—specifically those who find themselves in the 'friendship desert' of adulthood.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

The app is strictly platonic and emphasizes 'kindness pledges' and community. It avoids the 'hookup' vibes of its sister app, though the swipe-based interface still feels a bit transactional for human connection.

Imaginative

By 2026, features like VR 'Metaspaces' for pre-meeting hangouts and AI icebreakers add a layer of tech-forward curiosity, but it's still fundamentally a utility for matching profiles.

Safe

Capped due to unmoderated stranger chat and aggressive monetization. While it has biometric verification and 'Private Detector' for AI-blurring of images, it is strictly 18+ and presents high risks (grooming, stalking) if accessed by minors.

Enriching

Combats adult loneliness and social anxiety. The 'Circles' feature and integration with local events (Ticketmaster/Eventbrite) help translate digital swipes into real-world community building.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

The 'Circles' feature lets you join groups for specific hobbies like book clubs or Saturday morning sports.
Biometric 'Vibe Checks' and mandatory video intros help keep the catfishing and bots to a minimum.
Perfect for parents who just moved to a new city and can't bear one more awkward conversation at the playground.
Partnerships with Ticketmaster and Eventbrite make it easy to actually move the friendship into the real world.

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What to Watch For

It is 18+ only; there is zero moderation for minors and high risk of inappropriate content if they sneak on.
The premium 'Spotlight' and 'SuperSwipe' features are expensive and can feel like you're paying to win at friendship.
Swipe fatigue is real; you might spend more time judging profile pictures than actually meeting people.

Conversation Starters

"Is it weird that we use the same mechanics to find a spouse and a workout buddy?"
"Would you feel comfortable meeting someone from an app in a VR 'Metaspace' before seeing them in person?"
"Do features like 'AI Icebreakers' make us better at talking or just lazier?"

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