Perhaps it’s the burden of stress or the need for procrastination that sparks the use of the Yik Yak app around midterms.

For whatever reason, students refreshed the app repeatedly the night of Jan. 23, the night before midterm exams started.

First seen in 2014, the app posed controversy in Glen Rock High School.

The line between rumor and truth is very thin, some high schoolers may not even be able to distinguish the two. Others, however, cross that line.

“Some people are mature enough and understand what’s funny and when it’s too much,” Ben Packer (‘18) said.

The banter between two friends can be recognized, but many students question the point of doing so anonymously.

“I think it can be fun only when jokes are made that you wouldn’t mind saying to someone’s face,” said Sophia Arnao (‘17)

Whether or not there is an underlying sarcastic tone behind a statement is hard to tell because you cannot pick up on a tone in writing.

“I think the app is only fun when jokes made about people don’t have to do with personal things,” said Arnao, “like how they look or making fun of things others know aren’t right.”

The distraction from midterms seems to attract a more negative vibe this year than in the past.

“I think that Yik Yak came out around midterms my freshman year as being a thing in our school,” said Arnao, “then I just think tradition is midterms is always the time it is used, so it continues around that time.”

The tradition did not continue through the whole week due to complaints from different students and the activism of upperclassmen trying to shut it down.

“I think people use it around midterms because it’s a distraction from studying and typically kids will do anything to get away from studying,” said Packer, “Also just because it’s been tradition for the past few years around midterms.”

Potential poor exam scores may be punishment enough for students abusing the Yik Yak app during midterm week.