Stopping someone from lying about their birthday is virtually impossible, and other safeguards appear to be minimal at best. But they are not required to provide any proof of their age Facebook and Instagram, which they may connect to their online-dating account, also don’t ask for evidence of a user’s age. When signing up, users must provide their birthday or link a social-media profile that includes their date of birth. Most popular dating apps (including Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, Grindr, Scruff, Jack’d, and Her) mandate that users be at least 18 to join. In my reporting, I’ve come to realize not only how common this type of experience is but also how ineffective apps have been at preventing minors from joining. I found my way to Grindr at 16, chatted with older men, and later met my first boyfriend, who was in his early 20s, when I was just 17. Still, one uncomfortable aspect of these apps remains mostly unaddressed: the ease with which underage users can create profiles and risk being preyed on by adults. Since then, online dating has become a normal part of how adults find new relationships.
When dating apps started becoming popular in the early 2010s, many people feared that seeking romance on the internet might be dangerous.
