"Wage-advance" apps offer to pay people a portion of their wages in
advance, in exchange for a fixed fee.  The apps do not have the same
responsible-lending obligations as banks and credit card providers.
Financial counsellors want stricter regulations to protect people from
getting caught in debt cycles.

'Wage-advance' apps aren't subject to responsible-lending obligations.

The apps charge a fee per loan—generally about 5% of the amount
borrowed. But because the companies aren't subject to the same
responsible-lending obligations as other loan providers, they don't have to
ensure customers can meet their repayments without going into hardship.
(As a personal loan interest rate, 5% is actually very low.)

                          
               Ms Walker needed to pay a $2,500 vet bill.

The subject of this report, Sharmy Walker, used four different apps to
borrow almost $8,500 over several years. She used one of the apps,
called MyPayNow, more than 50 times!   And I'm guessing that she was
often using one app to pay of the debt on another app.

What I'm seeing is that too many people who are financially illiterate
are relying on (non-existent?) government agencies to protect them
in case they get into difficulties with these sorts of payday loans.

Surely in this high tech day and age with readily accessible on-line
financial resources we shouldn't be seeing people like Ms Walker in this
sort of financial trouble. 

Did she in fact ever carry out her due diligence?  And if not, then why not?

Side note:   What'd be the cost of those three tatts we can see?