What is Tinder?
Tinder is a very popular social dating app used by young adults and teens to connect with other people in their area. Watch the following video.
Tinder is a popular app but parents should be very aware of how it works and the dangers it presents.
How Tinder works:
1. Tinder shows you interesting people nearby, such as those that you share common friends and interests with.
2. If you’re interested in connecting with someone, swipe right! If not, just swipe left to pass.
3. If you like someone and they like you back, it’s a match!
4. Chat with your matches and get to know them safely inside of Tinder.
Tinder is free but also offers a premium feature. The premium features allow people to connect with others around the world. It also allows people to add a Super Like to an image.
The focus initially is on the picture of a person. This can be great however, it does not compensate for personality. Take for example a young man who connected with a woman and began chatting with her. He began chatting with her during the Christmas season and in his initial comments misspelled the word Christmas. Because of his blunder he panicked and immediately sent a follow-up message that included a random Panda fact. He then continued the conversation with her providing her with random facts about Pandas. This exchange as since become viral on Imgur. He still has yet to meet the young lady.
What parents should know
- Tinder is known as an easy way to “hook up” for a one night stand.
- Tinder is known for vulgar, abusive, sexually explicit communications to happen. There is a popular Facebook page dedicated to Tinder Creeps. Parents reading this page can get a stronger sense of what can happen in the app.
- Tinder is popular for males to seek out relationships with younger females.
- Tinder requires a Facebook account. Facebook accounts can be created by anyone in a manner of minutes.
- Parents to judge how an app focused on looks is used to determine self-worth and value.
Smarter Parenting highly recommends parents to delete this app from their child’s device. It is not safe for children.
It is important for parents to keep the lines of communication open with their children about internet safety. Parents need to monitor the apps their children use and their online activity.
Join us next week when we review another application. Until then, be safe in cyber space.