Am I Safe Dating Online?

Online dating is commonplace in the United States, especially in younger generations. In a recent survey from the Pew Research Center, 53% of Americans under the age of 30 reported using a dating site or app to find a partner. In their sample, Tinder and Match.com were the most popular.

However, online dating poses some serious risks. According to a Nationally Representative sample of 4,860 US adults collected in 2019, about 30% of participants said someone continued to contact them on an online dating platform after they communicated they were not interested (Pew Research Center). More problematically, 35% said they were sent sexually explicit messages or images they didn’t ask for, and 9% said that someone threatened to physically harm them.

7 Tips for Protecting Yourself While Dating Online

1. Don’t go to your home or regular hangouts. This may sound obvious but many don’t realize how important it is to meet dates in public places where the person couldn’t find you later if the date doesn’t go well.
2. Avoid dates who don’t use pictures in profiles. Individuals who refuse to send photos on dating apps but will communicate outside of the app (like through email or phone) are sending a red flag about their openness to sharing basic information about themselves.
3. Avoid or limit personal details about yourself. It’s important that you don’t share information about yourself that would make it easy for people to find you (e.g., address, phone, home area).
4. Don’t give in to pressure to meet in a private location. Agreeing to go to an unknown location or move from a public place to a private place puts you at greater risk for being hurt.
5. Don’t link social media accounts. In general, you don’t want your new date to be able to find lots of personal information about you, your life, and your friends until you share it with them.
6. Avoid or limit drinking alcohol or using drugs. When dating someone new, you want to be sure that your judgment isn’t impaired so that you will make good, conscious choices that keep you safe.
7. Turn off geolocation on your social media or dating app profile. For example, Grindr is a dating app known for its quick matchmaking. They recommend you wait 2-3 days before meeting, but their algorithm searches for matches within a 50-mile radius.

The Naked Truth is This: It’s important to be careful and mindful of your safety when you’re dating online. Most online dating sites don’t screen for previous sexual assault charges (or background checks of any kind). The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network has some great recommendations.

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