Female Teens and Tinder
Adolescence is a period where teens begin to form romantic relationships. For any teen, this is a significant social change. With the emergence of social and digital media, however, these initial stirrings have changed. Female Teenagers’ lives are intertwined with freely available resources, and they are responsible for their approach to romantic relationships.
Meeting new people online seems to be thrilling thought for many teenagers. A teen who is having trouble making friends may find solace in getting to know people outside of her social circle. The majority of online dating sites do not allow underage users. Tinder did not prohibit at first, resulting in a small number of female teen users aged 13 to 17. Tinder has become increasingly common among female teenagers for a variety of reasons. The app offers instant gratification, and there are no lengthy profiles to complete. Another key feature is they do not need to wait to be matched with potential romantic partners. Instead, they can start searching for possible matches in minutes.
Popularity of Tinder among female teens
The app now has about 10 million daily users and is gaining a lot of traction among teenagers. Tinder, for many teenagers, is less nerve-wracking than asking someone out on a date in person. Teens use Tinder to prevent direct rejection, as when others swipe left (showing disinterest) users do not get any notification. Teenagers aged 13 to 17 years revealed that although 57% of them started friendships online, only a small percentage of them started romantic relationships online. Just 76% of people said they only dated people they met through offline methods. A quarter of teen daters (24 percent), or 8%, have actually dated someone they met on the internet. Even though teen romantic relationships do not begin online, it is a popular way for them to express their interest or to flirt with other fellow teens. Tinder has 7% of its users aged 13 to 17 years old, outnumbering 35 to 44-year-olds.
Tinder, however, barred users under the age of 18 in 2016, after long-standing complaints over the privacy of underage users on the service. Nonetheless, it is possible for underage users to manipulate the sign-in method to create an account by lying about their age. Age limits are not foolproof, as most parents are well aware.
Tinder use in female teens
Tinder's teen user base is expanding, not declining. Tinder is being used by many teenagers to make real-life and online friends, discover their sexuality, and pursue hookups and dates for date-centric activities. Tinder has become a popular platform for bisexual female teens to meet male and female romantic partners. They claim to use tinder as an outlet outside of school because they are aware that they will be excluded, or at the very least deemed taboo, for their sexuality.
Even if the options expand, when you're an adolescent living at home with parents searching for dates online, it's logistically more difficult to prepare for physical meetings. Tinder is something that all teens keep hidden from their parents. Technology has added new dimensions to what teenagers and their parents have had to contend with. In a Tinder or social media environment, there are various ways to avoid being weird. Teenagers are trying to find out how to show interest in all of these aspects without coming off as desperate or weird.
The Dangers of Tinder for female teens
Teens that use Tinder can be exposed to a variety of risks. It was also called the worst app for teenagers and tweens by Qustodio.
On Tinder, teenagers are only expected to be able to communicate with other teenagers. People can, however, lie about their age. Predators love Tinder because it allows them to prey on underage teenagers. Since 2015, about 30 cases of child rape have been investigated in the UK alone. Documents show 60 more examples of child sex offences committed via online dating sites, including grooming, abduction, and serious sexual harassment, among others.
Tinder helps users to search for others within a mile radius, meaning users already have a clear sense of where someone is. Strangers with enough knowledge can also pinpoint a teen's precise location based on the profile picture.
Fake profile pictures are often used to entice unsuspecting individuals through chatting. Scammers then gather personal information or have shady links for teens to click on in order to trick them into handing out their information.
Tinder is not designed for platonic friendships. People who wish to meet in person use it. Many teenagers overlook the dangers of meeting strangers and would like to meet in a private setting. Adults who wish to take advantage of children and teenagers may even lie about their age. Many cases are reported where adults have been charged with kidnapping and sexually harassing minors.
Tinder has been dubbed one of the finest hookup applications. Tinder users are frequently searching for one-night stands and hookups. It is definitely not a place where young teenagers can make friends. Many teenage girls claim that most males are interested in sex, after using tinder. And, for the most part, it's all about sex. Unless that's what you want, it might feel transactional.
Tinder encourages users to make snap decisions about whether or not they want to know someone based on profile pictures. Tinder delivers the message to teenagers that they should choose a relationship based on their physical appearances Teens are also exposed to cyberbullying when they use Tinder. Because this app is so shallow and superficial, teens may be mocked for their appearance, which can lead to negative long-term repercussions such as low self-esteem and risky behaviour.
How to keep safe on Tinder?
As parents, it is crucial to teach teens how to use dating apps including Tinder, responsibly. Keep track of the applications that teenagers use and evaluate them on a regular basis. Keep your lines of communication open. Discuss what is allowed and what is not. Sexting, cyberbullying, stalking, internet predators, improper content, and giving personal information such as location online are all onine dangers to discuss with teens. Demonstrate what it means to have a healthy connection and that one swipe is not a good way to start a love connection Make sure your teen uses dating apps appropriately and responsibly.
When you meet someone on Tinder as a female teen, it's always dangerous to meet up with them face to face. You must be aware of the risks; but, if you are still eager to meet them, follow these general guidelines to keep safe.
- Always meet and keep in a crowded public area.
- A trustworthy, responsible adult should accompany you. Taking a friend with you to a meet-up, if the person you're meeting with isn't being honest can put you both in danger.
- Make sure someone you know knows who you're meeting, where you're going, and when you'll be back.
- Something is probably wrong if your instincts tell you it is. If the person you meet does not appear to be the same person with whom you've been conversing, leave as quickly as possible.
- Accepting a ride from the person you're meeting is not a good idea.
- Maintain your sobriety (stay sober)
- Take your phone and make sure it's turned on and topped up with credit or balance.
- Don't leave your personal belongings unattended since they might be stolen.
Teenagers feel at ease in the digital scene. As a result, online dating provides a testing ground for them to interact with others. Due of the possible dangers involved with apps, they are not the safest method to experience dating. Tinder isn't the only app that parents should be concerned about. There are plenty of smartphone applications that put your kid at danger of communicating with strangers and predators. Teens are at risk from online dating applications, and as technology advances, there will undoubtedly be more to come.
Sources:
- https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-every-parent-needs-to-know-about-tinder-2609052
- https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/opinion/teen-spirit/does-your-teen-tinder/articleshow/51619590.cms
- https://www.webwise.ie/parents/what-is-tinder/
- https://blog.mspy.com/tinder-dating-app-is-it-safe-for-teenagers/
- https://www.teenvogue.com/story/tinder-unsafe-for-teens
- https://themuttonclub.com/teens-tinder-risk/
- https://parentinfo.org/article/teens-on-tinder