It's unfortunate that this seems to be the case of fraud, but I hope people don't take the wrong lesson from it. "Kids" can be far more intelligent, persistent,

It's unfortunate that this seems to be the case of fraud, but I hope people don't take the wrong lesson from it. "Kids" can be far more intelligent, persistent, and effective than many adults seem to be willing to believe. I don't think there's anything inherently implausible about the general story "16 year old creates usable and useful app," even if that's not what happened in this case. Programming isn't magic, it's a skill one can learn, and at this moment of history it's easier than ever to get the information and tools required to do so. Teenagers (and younger kids) can learn incredibly quickly - if they decide to do so.