According to the UK-based Sunday Times, more than 30 cases of child rape and 60 cases of child sexual offenses have been linked to online dating services like Tinder and Grindr since 2015.
With this surge in child rape, grooming, kidnapping and sexual assault, comes the question of responsibility. Do we blame the dating applications whose age verification tools are evaded by minors? Or do we blame parents for not monitoring the online behavior of their children more closely?
Regardless of which side of the debate you support, the truth remains – our children are being exploited online.
Speak to your children about the risks of using applications like Tinder or Grindr, which are meant for adults, and take the right measures to protect them from online dangers by implementing parental monitoring tools.
Unfortunately, until a resolution is reached, it is up to parents to step in.
How to Protect My Children from Online Exploitation
Talk About Online Responsibility
Children were born with the Internet. As much as parents would like to protect them from the world of inappropriate content and dangerous online encounters, it just isn’t feasible.
It is important to have a conversation with your children regarding responsible online behavior, including steering clear of adult-only applications, chat rooms and websites – and why. We live in a world where things like child rape happen and ensuring our children have the knowledge and tools in place to deal with risky situations is our responsibility.
Stephen Morris, chairman of the English Democrats North West, stated in a recent debate that, “Individuals are responsible for their own actions.” This means, that while companies like Grindr and Tinder are responsible for implementing safety measures and clear terms of service, it is the individual user who is responsible for his or her actions.
If minors are bypassing age verification checks, it is up to the parents to hold them accountable for breaking the rules. Dating applications are not meant for minors and what happens thereafter cannot entirely be tagged as the responsibility of the company. Make sure your children understand the risks involved with participating in grown-up activities and that it is for their own safety that you are having this conversation.
Install Parental Monitoring Software
Installing parental control app software like FlexiSPY allows you to see exactly which applications your kids have downloaded on their phones or computers, as well as their activity within these apps. Is your underage son being groomed on Grindr or is your daughter flirting with older men on Tinder? You have a right to know and protect them.
FlexiSPY gives you an edge with our Tinder monitoring feature. Unlike other Tinder monitoring software, you will have access to every detail, including:
- Sent and received chat messages
- GIF images
- Profile pictures
- Friends’ profile pictures
- Conversation names
- Emoji support
Let’s face it, kids are extremely tech-savvy and even world-class age verification checks are easy to get around for most. This means that a conversation about online responsibility may not be enough to prevent our children from planning a rendezvous with an adult twice their age.
We Can Beat it Together
Remember that your children are not oblivious to the fact that bad things happen. Unfortunately, these bad things are occurring at a rate faster than ever before. This is why it is more important than ever to equip our youth with the proper guidelines, knowledge and tools for existing safely online.
Until corporations and policymakers can agree upon the appropriate measures for guaranteeing secure and age-proof applications, it is in the hands of parents to provide the added layer of security.
Installing parental monitoring software like FlexiSPY can mean the difference between your child’s innocence and a lifetime of wondering what if we had done something differently.
Let’s work together – parents, children, corporations, lawmakers – to ensure that our youth stay safe and that future generations do not have to have a similar discussion.
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