At the age of 10, Blondy Baruti walked more than 500 miles with his mother and sister to escape the civil war in Congo. And now, today, he is the CEO of a social media app to help users better manage their content.
Actor Blondy Baruti creates app to stop bullying on social media
Baruti founded BePerk in 2018. It is a social media platform that officially launched to the public in May and offers users full control over their content to minimize bullying, anxiety, stress and pressure on social media, among other things.
Baruti was inspired to launch BePerk after seeing a need for more personal control over what users see and share online. On the app, users can adjust the length of their posts that are visible to the public, hide their followers and followers, set reminders to take social breaks, and track activity on their accounts. The platform also has parental controls and tap-to-read capabilities.
"I was tired of the annoying algorithms and how mainstream social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook dictate what they want you to see," Baruti told Lifewire in a phone interview. "There are a lot of mental health issues around social media, especially for young kids because they're comparing themselves to what they see. I feel like we as a society didn't have enough control over our lives on social media; that's why I created BePerk."
