Dating Apps: Dangers, Warning Signs And Safety Tips

So why are people that date online, experiencing more IT security problems than people that don’t? One obvious answer already touched upon is the fact that people involved in online dating do spend a lot of time online, and therefore might naturally come across more dangers than people who don’t. However, the study also shows that people are not protecting themselves properly when they are dating online. Overall, 55% of people that date online have experienced some form of threat or problem – ranging from IT security incidents to meeting up with people that didn’t turn out to be who they claimed, or being rejected by potential matches.

Methodology

• Digital devices act as a window to the rest of the world, including our relationships.
• Among those who have ever used a dating site or app, slightly more say their personal experiences have been very or somewhat positive than say they have been very or somewhat negative (53% vs. 46%).
• By sharing proximity data, you may unintentionally reveal patterns about where you live, work or spend time.
• Unlike Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and the other big dating apps, Left Field focuses on connections rooted in real life.

The House subcommittee released the letters it sent to executives at Match Group, Bumble, Grindr and The Meet Group, which request that they provide a broad assortment of information about their users and policies by Feb. 13. In addition, the subcommittee is requesting demographic information on the companies’ users and any communications online dating platforms have had with law enforcement agencies related to investigations involving their services. When asked why they’ve turned to dating sites or apps in the past year, 44% of users say a major reason was to meet a long-term partner and 40% say a major reason was to date casually. Smaller shares say a major reason was to have casual sex (24%) or make new friends (22%).

Women are more likely than men to say online dating is not too or not at all safe. Most U.S. adults are skeptical or unsure that dating algorithms can predict love. About one-in-five adults (21%) think that the types of computer programs that dating sites and apps use could determine whether two people will eventually fall in love. But greater shares of Americans either say these programs could not do this (35%) or are unsure (43%).

Making the pursuit of intimacy more private and individual has increased the potential for negative or harmful experiences. But only half of users say that they have had positive experiences. Indeed, a shocking 11% of female users under 50 have received threats of harm. Creating an online dating profile often feels like marketing yourself. You select your best photos and craft a brief biography, hoping that exposure to a wide pool of potential matches will lead to a meaningful connection. Dating algorithms attempt to pair you with compatible matches, but even promising conversations can end after an in-person meeting that fails to spark.

According to creators Kate Sieler and Samantha Martin, the company launched in February 2025, and at the time of filming, they already had 5,000 users. Unlike Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and the other big dating apps, Left Field focuses on connections rooted in real life. Many people on dating sites are looking for a quick sexual relationship. In these scams, the fraudster will ask for sensitive photos and videos with the promise of sending their own in return. But after you send bravodate.com them, the scammer will threaten to leak them to your friends and family if you don’t pay a ransom.

Key Findings About Online Dating In The Us

This survey includes a total sample size of 234 Asian adults. The sample primarily includes English-speaking Asian adults and therefore may not be representative of the overall Asian adult population. Despite this limitation, it is important to report the views of Asian adults on the topics in this study. As always, Asian adults’ responses are incorporated into the general population figures throughout this report.

57% of women online daters aged 18 to 34 said they had received sexually explicit messages or images they hadn’t asked for. In the same study, 19% of women aged between 18 and 34 reported threats of physical harm. Other incidents highlight how dating sites or apps can become a venue for bothersome or harassing behavior – especially for women under the age of 35. Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand Americans’ experiences with dating sites and apps and their views of online dating generally.

Basically, a new app starts up, and hopeless romantics looking for real love begin flocking to it. Over time, the earnest daters go on a bunch of bad dates, encountering people who have no interest in real relationships or whose profiles are completely misleading. The likelihood of encountering these kinds of behaviors on dating platforms also varies by sexual orientation. Fully 56% of LGB users say someone on a dating site or app has sent them a sexually explicit message or image they didn’t ask for, compared with about one-third of straight users (32%). LGB users are also more likely than straight users to say someone on a dating site or app continued to contact them after they told them they were not interested, called them an offensive name or threatened to physically harm them. From personal ads that began appearing in publications around the 1700s to videocassette dating services that sprang up decades ago, the platforms people use to seek out romantic partners have evolved throughout history.

Like any form of dating, meeting up with strangers isn’t always plain-sailing and this is also the case online. Online dating, indeed, requires the exchange of a certain level of information which, if placed in the wrong hands, can be misused. Digital technology, especially smart devices, have transformed many aspects of our society, including how people meet each other and establish relationships – romantic or otherwise. Waiting for the rare match who remembers we’re not profiles.

Online daters widely believe that dishonesty is a pervasive issue on these platforms. A clear majority of online daters (71%) say it is very common for people on these platforms to lie about themselves to appear more desirable, while another 25% think it is somewhat common. Only 3% of online daters think this is not a common occurrence on dating platforms. When two users like each other, they can start text messaging on the app.

Dating Apps Endanger Real Relationships

It’s getting harder to tell if your date is who they say they are, and that’s before you consider the data security and privacy implications of using the apps on your smartphone. Overall, 9% are also put off online dating by people who send overly private or unclothed images, and 7% are put off the activity when the information they share on dating services is used by others to harm them in some way. But coming across fake information – such as false photos (19%), fake relationship expectations (12%) and dishonest relationship statuses (11%) – was cited by respondents as the most common reason people are put off online dating services overall. Reporter Linda Adey investigates the safety of the most popular dating apps in Britain. She asks whether providing background checks for all users might be one way to improve safety on the most popular apps.

Don’t leave your drink unattended and keep the first couple of dates short. Some people feel safer carrying a self-defense tool with them, such as pepper spray or a high-powered flashlight. If the person you matched with has posted only limited information and only one picture, it may be a fake account.