Kids are curious by nature—and that’s why they learn so quickly. However, this curiosity can get them to try out things that are perhaps a little unsuitable. When they’re teens, they might feel grown up, but as parents, we still need to protect them. And Tinder is certainly not for teens. Many parents are turning to apps like mSpy and its built-in app blocker to protect their children.
How Does Tinder Work?
We used to meet people at cafes, bars, college, and at work, but the internet changed all of that. Tinder was launched just over a decade ago and was downloaded a staggering 64 million times in 2022 alone.
To find potential dates on Tinder, it’s a simple case of swiping left on their profile to reject them or swiping right to say you’re interested. There are red X buttons and green hearts that do the same. You can even select the blue star to show you’re really keen too. Tinder works on location, so you can see people who are on Tinder and who live close by.
Dangers of Tinder: What to Watch Out For?
For adults, Tinder works—though many still think it’s a crude way of meeting people. However, there are plenty of dangers for teens that parents need to know about. Here are the major ones:
- Predators use Tinder to attract teens: They can lie about their age so adults can say they’re a teenager and meet underage teens.
- The photos will say where they are located: Photos and profiles on Tinder show a mile radius of where you’re located. So, if a teen has uploaded a selfie in their back garden, it wouldn’t be too difficult for someone to work out where they live based on the features in the background.
- Tinder is popular with scammers: People create fake profiles to try and get people to chat with them. They’ll then try and bribe people to give out information.
- Tinder encourages you to meet in person: It’s not an app for friendships. It’s designed to facilitate face-to-face dating. Lots of teenagers will underestimate how risky this is.
- Tinder is used for hookups: Many people who use Tinder do so to find sex. It isn’t a place for teens to find loving relationships.
How to Protect Your Child?
In order to protect your child from Tinder dangers and other similar social media apps, it’s important to educate them about the potential dangers of dating people online and meeting up in person.
It’s a good idea to try to remain abreast of new technologies and apps so that you can be aware of new apps and dangers that might put your teens at risk. And if you’re still worried, use spyware for Android or iPhone like mSpy to block the sites you don’t want them using.
If your teen has a good relationship with you, they’re more likely to respect any boundaries and rules you put in place. Ensure you tell them what you expect from them online and be proactive in your approach. Show willingness to listen and don’t lecture them as they’re likely to continue doing something you don’t like but not talking to you about it.
Final Thoughts on Tinder for Teens
Tinder really isn’t suitable for teenagers who want to date—and there are plenty of better ways to meet people. Lecturing your child on Tinder and its dangers likely won’t work. It’s best to have an open and interesting conversation that allows you to educate without coming across as old-fashioned and boring. If all else fails, block the app with mSpy’s tools.
