Teen dating websites are turning out to be trouble because where teens gather online, so do the pedophiles and the people who want to harm them.
Other sites like Craigslist can also be dangerous and people should always be cautious whenever they meet someone they don’t know.
Just as in the case with the woman who was attacked, a person who may initially seem friendly and decent could be very dangerous.
People are always going to interact online and continue to meet strangers, but hopefully, with awareness, they will learn how to be as safe as possible and prevent bad situations. Pleasant Police Public Information Officer Jeff Browne explained that there are a lot of social media sites and applications out there and the safest thing users can do is research them beforehand to find out what they are about.
He does, however, realize the reality that there are many who will continue to use them whether they are aware of the dangers.
According to a fact sheet on the dangers of online dating created by Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, “With the prevalence of rapes and sexual assault going unreported and the low conviction rate for those accused (1.2 percent), it’s likely that online dating remains very attractive to predators.” While it may be true that many have safely and successfully used these tools to meet people, the real issue is about creating awareness of the dangers that actually exist.
The woman who was attacked was aware that there were risks.
For the woman who was assaulted, that is exactly how it started.
The two met on Tinder and talked for a few weeks before he started asking her if she would like to meet for coffee.
Aside from Tinder, there are tons of similar apps that offer some variation of the same formula and are just as dangerous.
Also risky, yet perhaps more trusted and in-depth, are the countless online dating sites that offer a selection of millions of profiles that can be created by anyone, good or bad.
“People who do bad things are obviously going to hide it,” she said.