Amid reports of teens spewing hate through their cell phones and pleas from some area principals for students to uninstall a particularly vexing application, officials in Chicago touted a new app this morning that they said could serve as a counterweight to vile online behavior.

Teens who install the CombatHate app on their phones can take pictures or write descriptions of online hate speech or terrorism and anonymously send it to the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Officials at the Los Angeles-based Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organization, said they would then relay information about online crimes to law enforcement and track broader patterns of online hate — criminal or not.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Wiesenthal Center's associate dean, said the app was a way to “empower our young people,” who he said “see this stuff every day.”

The Rev. Christopher Harris, pastor of Bright Star Church in Bronzeville, said the app was a way to confront the problem inside the tech-centric world of teens.

“It's going to cultivate hope for all the individuals who are victims or witnesses to hate crimes,” he said.

The app was unveiled previously in other cities, but was pushed today in Chicago at a news conference with Wiesenthal officials and Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.

The press conference came as Chicago-area school leaders warn parents and students about the Yik Yak app, a recently released program that allows teens to post anonymously to others nearby. Educators said some students have used the service to threaten and malign others, prompting certain schools to block access to the application on their networks and urge parents to uninstall it from their child’s phone.

CombatHate, already available for free on Apple’s app store, offers tips to cyberbullying victims on getting help. But the tools that allow teens to upload information about a particular incident should only be used if it rises to the level of hate speech or terrorism, the superhero-themed app instructs users.

Users of the app can see a list of recent episodes of hate speech. Racist graffiti in Minnesota and Pennsylvania, KKK- and Nazi-themed playground vandalism in Florida and swastikas on vehicles in California were among the incidents detailed. CombatHate also has a list of online “hate games” and “hate sites” that it urges users to avoid.

mitsmith@tribune.com