Staying Safe with Online Dating

It would have been hard to believe a few decades ago that dating could be initiated by a simple touch on a mobile phone screen. Swipe right and you like the person you see on the screen, swipe left, and they are rejected. It’s that simple to find a date.

The mobile revolution

Mobile dating apps have made dating an easy and accessible experience. Online dating has gained a lot of popularity in the last decade, although it’s still stigmatized. A large number of people now meet their partners through dating websites. This trend is continuing to grow, with a range of websites that cater for specific age groups and ethnicities, its more targeted than ever.

Dating websites have traditionally been very information heavy. The information that is requested from its members covers a wide range of areas. This all changed with mobile dating apps, where quick and simple is the central requirement.

Mobile phones have changed the way online dating works. Dating apps cater to a more simplified process. Add a few pictures and a few lines about yourself, and you are good to go. But with the ease of using these apps, they have also become a common way to meet casual partners. They are also marketed as ‘hook up apps’, where the physical aspect of the person is more important. People have found long term partners through these apps, but the large amount of people use is for casual relationships.

The most popular example is Tinder, which was launched in 2011 and has since gained a lot of popularity. For gay and bisexual men, Grindr, which was launched in 2009, has a user base of millions of men around the world.

Staying safe online

The online world poses a lot of risks to potential daters. Online profiles do not show the complete picture about a person, especially on mobile dating apps. You only get to know the other person properly after meeting them in real life.

As stated, many people use these apps for casual flings. Having safe sex is very important because otherwise you can end up with an unwanted sexually transmitted infection. A research found that men who use Grindr to meet other people are more likely to catch an STI. In particular, they were 23% more likely to get gonorrhoea and 35% more likely to get chlamydia. This is really worrying, especially if you think that for certain STIs, such as herpes, symptoms do not appear immediately and, in some cases, they do not appear at all. This means that an infected person could easily infect subsequent partners. Certain STIs are very common like chlamydia, and others can be transferred through low risk sexual activity like herpes.

Even before initiating a physical relation, its best to meet in a public place for safety purposes. Some people lie about their age, while others looks very different to the photos they have on their profile. All these potential issues can be resolved with an initial public meeting.

Online dating can be a positive experience if you take the right precautions. Whatever your reason for using it, it can help you find a partner with similar interests and purpose. So stay safe and have fun!