Teens may be experiencing a few growing pains over the new teen ban Tinder has announced. The popular dating app with more than 50 million users and 26 million matches per day is banning most teens. This could put strain on their user numbers, but Craigslist may pick up the teen slack. Is Tinder putting teens at risk for underage sex? The app is generally known as a dating app, but many users say they use it for casual sex. This could be the reason for the Tinder policy switch. Craigslist is relatively teen friendly. Sure, there is an under 18 warning, but what teenager heeds warnings or rules?
Tinder Teens Banned
The announcement from Tinder detailing their policy switch might get teens off their backs. The dating and loosely known sex app is now banning all users under the age of 18. Their old policy allowed a minimum age of 13. And those users could only chat with other teens. Tinder Vice President of Communications Rosette Pamnakian said that it was the right thing to do for the app. Tinder may have made the decision to ban teens due to safety concerns over adults and teens mixing it up. However, they are not the only place teens can turn to for sex.
Will Craigslist be Next for Teen Sex?
The federal law, COPPA, which deals with this sort of thing, only puts Internet companies into question if their users are under the age of 14. Tinder found a loophole, but what about Craigslist? Teens of any age can Google Craigslist, click the “casual encounters” section of their city and there is only a simple, non-threatening warning. Then teens can click to their sexual preference without hesitation. Craigslist has had problems with this in the past. But Craigslist still exists, it’s free, and teens can easily use it.
Underage Sex and the Internet
Most parents would like to believe that their kids are using the Internet for homework research, or learning new wonderful things about the world. Sadly, this is not the case. Teens use the Internet for a lot of things, and sex or sexual content is one of the most popular. The government has gone after Craigslist for the promotion of sex trafficking and prostitution that blatantly happens on the site. Yet Craigslist scapegoats the issue, hiding under their easily dodged 18 or older disclaimer. Teens who used Tinder to hook-up will be banned. And they will find another app or website to get sex. Tinder took the responsible route, however, the failure to keep underage sex to high school dances may prove challenging.
