February 14th has always caused couples to feel the heart, make something special for each other, and share warmth. However, with the integration of technologies deeper into our lives, even St. Valentine’s starts losing its romance.
Modern young people do not write poems when falling in love. Relationships seem easy to get for many of them. When you can download a free app and arrange a date with one single click and with no effort applied, everything will seem trivial.
Dating apps have gained incredible popularity among teens these days. As a result, “love” has become simple for most of them. Sounds frightening, but online predators have the same free access to children’s hearts as well. It is not a problem for them to meet in real life any longer. All one needs to do is download an app and find another lonely heart. What if your kid is the next victim?
Such dating services may be a sound solution for adults who want to meet other adults. Sometimes they even help to build long and happy relationships. However, it is not a place for kids at all. St. Valentine’s Day is one of those factors forcing naïve teen girls and boys to use a dating app in search of a couple.
Here is the list of the most popular dating apps for you to know what to look for on your kid’s device:
Tinder
This app is the most popular and widely spread one. It is rated 12+ and requires a user to be 13+. Since it is designed for hooking up and dating, the application is surely not for kids. Tinder connects to a Facebook account, where it pulls the information. Potential couples may find each other by using GPS. There are over 450 million profiles rated every day. The main danger here is an online predator threat and cyberbullying. It is easy for a stranger to find a potential victim; meanwhile, cyberbullies use Tinder to insult and abuse.
OkCupid
This one is rated 12+ and has an 18+ age requirement. The app is on the list of top 10 dating websites by Time magazine, and it is popular among teenagers. Age restrictions are passed easily, and kids have free access to dating strangers. OkCupid features multiple-choice questions and member-created quizzes. It is a usual hub for cyberbullies and online predators. That is why it is not for the underage.
Bumble
It is a free location-based application for dating. The app allows only women to start communication when looking for matches. A user must be as old as 17 years to download Bumble. Children tend to pass on it. As well as other dating apps, it often results in online bullying and implies a potential stranger risk for any kid using it. Surely, not for your child as well.
Hinge
This one is another application to start relationships remotely and then meet in real life. Hinge is 17+ and dangerous for the underage. Though the app allows choosing a match among your friends, who are not strangers, it is a usual channel for cyber bullies to attack. In most cases, cyberbullies are ones kids know: class or schoolmates, Facebook friends, or even that boy next door. You never know where danger may come from.
Catch
This dating app is posing as a game where “ladies can meet awesome gents.” A woman chooses a man she likes and asks him three questions. If the answers satisfy, a couple can go on chatting and arrange a real date. TheCatch’s terms of use say that you must not be younger than 13 years old. Yet, it seems unlikely that this app is appropriate for someone younger than 18. Cyberbullies and online predators. The same app, the same risks. So, you’d better keep your kids away from it.
Look at some other dating applications that are less popular but no less dangerous for children: Coffee Meets Bagel | Hitch | Happn | Skout | Grindr | Match | Tastebuds | Score | Fliqpic | Tindog | Once | Align | At First Sight, | Grouper Social | Club | Pure | HowAboutWe | HighThere! | Clover.
You should better use apps monitoring to detect the listed above apps on your child’s device. The App Management option allows you to block dating applications remotely. Also, you can look through call logs and text messages for misgiving contacts.
Have you ever caught your kid using a dating app? Share your experience with us on social media or leave your comment below!
