"I was with him, he removed the condom without my consent. He lied to me about getting the morning-after pill and then blocked me." Says a user about 22-year-old Jeremiah, who has a total of 27 'red flags'. She seeks advice - 'tea' - about him on the popular platform Tea Dating App —an application where women can anonymously alert about their experiences with men. Since August, its counterpart, Tea On Her, has emerged with a similar dynamic, but focused on sharing men's experiences with women.
The post quickly filled with comments: "He is a woman abuser. This guy leaked nude photos of girls in high school." Crónica infiltrated the app for a week to understand its operation and dynamics from within that have made it a global phenomenon.
Not only are details shared about their dates, aggressive attitudes, or deceptions, but also details about the sexual health of those involved: Have you ever seen an advertisement about chlamydia? This man is a walking STD, says another user about 39-year-old José "Planthom", who allegedly infected several women with this condition. With hundreds of more stories, this community has already reached over 4 million users, according to their social media. Tea, the platform launched in 2023, presents itself as a safe way for women to 'investigate' their future online dating matches on platforms like Tinder or Bumble, in order to avoid catfishing - creating a false identity to deceive.
Its official description reads: "You can access a national forum of posts and set alerts with a person's name. You can also ask for advice on dating and relationships." Its popularity has grown exponentially. So much so that it became the most downloaded app on the Apple Store, surpassing giants like Google and ChatGPT.
'Tea Dating App', an application where women can anonymously alert about their experiences with men.
But on July 25, 2025, it fell victim to a massive cyberattack. The data breach affected registered users before February 24, 2024, compromising 72000 photos: 13000 selfies - verification photos that the platform requests to verify your identity - in addition to comments and private messages.
The company confirmed that it was a data breach from a "legacy storage system" containing information of its members. An anonymous user shared the database on 4chan, an image forum where content can be shared. Following the recent hack, Tea has committed to strengthening its security measures, making the access process slower and stricter. Currently, registering on the app requires not only patience but also references, due to its high demand.
To expedite access, you must recommend it to at least one friend. Still, approval can take up to seven days, even when choosing the fastest route. Its mechanism is strict: all new users must upload a selfie, or in some cases, a document verifying their identity. Once inside, its main functions include uploading images of a man and asking for references about him. These posts can be reacted to with a red flag - a warning sign - or a green flag - indicating healthy or positive behaviors; comments can also be made. Another important feature is activating alerts with just a person's name, meaning that when someone posts about them, you will receive a notification.
In fact, with just a phone number, you can obtain information about someone's real relationship status. The most ironic part is that the mind behind this project is not a woman, but Sean Cook —a 29-year-old man— with degrees in Business, Marketing, and Business Administration, according to his LinkedIn page. Cook explains that the idea to create this platform arose from his mother's bad dating experiences, including identity theft and people with criminal records. He claims that this idea has helped at least a million women make safer decisions.
What would you do if you saw your partner on one of these apps? That was precisely what Salta experienced, a woman whose story has already accumulated over 8 million views on TikTok. After seven years of a relationship and a child together, she discovered that her partner —the father of her child— had been unfaithful with a coworker. Her story is just one of many that have gone viral on these platforms.
'Tea On Her', the app that works almost the same way but focused on sharing reviews about women.
In August 2025, its counterpart was officially launched: Tea On Her, which operates almost the same way but focuses on sharing reviews about women. Although its interface, functionality, and description are almost identical, Tea On Her has quickly climbed the app stores, positioning itself just two places below its predecessor. However, it is still far from matching its success.
Behind Tea On Her is the American company Newville Media Corporation, which launched this version as a supposed "response" to balance the narrative. But the numbers are not in their favor: while Tea Dating App maintains a solid rating of 4.6 on the App Store and Google Play, establishing itself as a leader in its category, Tea On Her barely reaches an average of 2.0, based on negative user ratings criticizing its operation, ethics, and purpose.
"If you want to have the ability to say whatever you want about men without supervision or control, be mature when it happens to you too", says one of its top-rated reviews. Others openly denounce the lack of content moderation: "There is a lot of exploitation. It is very graphic and disturbing. I have seen child pornography, nudes." In an effort to fully understand this controversy,
A double-edged sword? Both apps have faced a wave of criticism. While some celebrate them as tools of empowerment and protection, others condemn them for promoting defamation and digital harassment. The main concern: anonymity. In both apps, sensitive content can be posted without consent, and without a robust verification system to prevent false or malicious statements.
As in any "battle of the sexes," there is no clear winner. For some, these apps are a shield against abuse. For others, a direct threat to privacy and personal reputation. Would you use them?