What Everyone Ought to Know About How to Safely Date Online
Never Take Your Safety for Granted
Is online dating safe? Is Tinder safe? Is Bumble safe? These are the questions that I get regularly and I want to answer them for you.
Well, itās not that simple. The answer is not just black and white.
But the good news is, if you follow the right tips and take the correct precautions before going on your date, you could end up having the best time of your life, creating beautiful memories, and possibly meeting the love of your life.
Spreading this knowledge and learning how to date online safely is vital, especially when we look at some online dating statistics.
For example, according to the Pew Research Center, in the United States, almost 30 percent of adults from ages 18-24 use online dating apps and websites. And thatās double what it was only 2 years ago.
And itās not just the younger generation that is using online dating apps to meet potential partners.
Users from ages 55-64 have doubled since 2015.
With so many people using online dating apps and websites, and as we evolve with technology, it is of the absolute utmost importance that you stay safe while having the time of your life.
5 Tips on How to Safely Date Online
We care about you and your safety and we want you to have a good time. So letās get into these 5 tips on how to stay safe while online dating.
1. Use Reputable Dating Apps and Websites
With roughly 8,000 online dating apps and websites worldwide, and an astounding 1,000 new additions to that every year, it may become hard to choose which websites to use.
Some of the most popular dating apps and websites include Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Match, eHarmony, and OkCupid.
But before signing up for and using any dating app, do your research on it and make sure itās the right one for you. Look up some reviews and peopleās experiences.
Unfortunately, there are more than a few people that use these dating websites deliberately to scam others.Ā
So when someone asks for you to wire money to them to help you pay for their airplane ticket, Iād say that looks like a red flag. So listen to your gut carefully.
Itās your personal information that youāre putting out there for the world to see, so make sure youāre using a legitimate dating site, for your own safety.
2. Do Your Research Before Meeting with Your Online Date
Itās youāre right and responsibility to know more about the person youāre going to meet up with.
Sometimes, just trusting what the other personās Tinder profile says isnāt enough. Youāre going to want to find out, to the best of your ability, if youāll be safe on this date.
And thatās why DateID is here; to help you.
So, if you’re like 95% of all the other online daters, you Google a person before meeting them. But the problem with that is, you’re only getting part of the story.
DateID does a deep web data dive and surfaces with the intel you need to ensure you meet people you’ll be compatible with.
DateID searches through their Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Google, the sex offender registry, and more. Then, DateID builds a screening profile on your date, based on publicly available information on the web.
Without the right data, youāre on the wrong date.
This is why you should do all of your due diligence in researching more about the person youāre meeting with in order to increase your chances of a fun, safe date.
3. Be Smart – Keep Your Personal Information PrivateĀ
With a quick search on Google of your name, if you donāt have your privacy settings set correctly, someone could find out your full name, home address, the address of the place you work, your number, and more.
You need to be sure that all of your information, on all social media platforms, not just dating apps, is set to private. You donāt want to have any stalkers finding out any additional information on you that you donāt want them to have.
So be wise about who you give your personal information out to. We recommend that you donāt tell people the location of your workplace or where you reside until you truly trust them. This should help avoid any unwanted situations.
4. For First Dates, Choose Public Locations
When you and your online date finally choose to meet up in person, and after youāve used DateID to do some additional research on them, itās time to pick the location.
As we mentioned previously, your personal information on where you live and work is just that, personal. Never meet at your office or place of residence.
Discuss with your date and choose a mutual place for the two of you and meet up there directly.
This is a safe bet for a first or the first few dates.
Ultimately, youāre your own number one and you need to be on the lookout for yourself. Itās the right thing to do.
If your date tries to pressure you into going somewhere private, refuse and leave the date immediately. Contact someone you know to come and pick you up, or talk to someone in the place youāre at and tell them about your situation. Donāt be afraid to speak up for yourself.
Go somewhere full of buzz and life. A public restaurant, a walk on a busy street or a busy part of town. Somewhere with light and people. Somewhere where someone would notice if anything were to start going south.
A huge tip and something we highly recommend is to tell someone close to you, like a friend or family member, that youāre going on a date with someone new, tell them their name, where you plan to go, and when you plan to come back.
You can even ask them to call you while youāre on the date or text you to make sure youāre doing well and feeling safe.
5. Follow Your Instincts – Always Do What’s Right For You
And finally, follow your instincts.
Whether this means reporting a person or blocking them prior to meet up, or literally leaving the person mid-date, you always need to do what feels right and safest for you.
If you donāt feel safe, talk to someone at the restaurant and ask for them to wait with you until a friend of yours comes to pick you up. If you feel pressured by them to go to a secluded area, especially on a first date, leave.
Never do something youāre not comfortable doing. Use the safety features on your phone to your advantage. Talk to your friends beforehand and have them call in or text to check in on you.
You know best when you feel comfortable or when somethingās up. Follow your gut instincts, always!
We’ll cheers for this great advise . You really outlined some issues that Im thinking is were I could be going wrong in my searchs . Thanks once again I really appreciate it š