Tinder
Photo/location matchmaking app too risky for kids.
Parents say
Based on 11 reviews
Kids say
Based on 9 reviews
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Tinder
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Tinder is a photo and messaging dating app for browsing photos of potential matches within a certain mile radius of the user's location. Swipe right to "like" a photo or left to "pass." If a person whose photo you "liked" swipes "like" on your photo, the app allows you to message each other. Along with seeking and messaging matches, users can post "moments," which are images and messages that exist for 24 hours and then disappear. As of 2016 Tinder's terms of use indicate that it can only be used by anyone 18 and up, though it previously allowed teens over 13.
Community Reviews
What’s It About?
Create a TINDER account using your Facebook account and enable GPS tracking on your phone. Enter your profile picture, name, age, location, and other biographical information you choose to share. View the photos of potential matches in your area that appear on your device's screen. Swipe right to "like" or left to "pass." If someone "likes" your photo back, you can communicate with that person by sending or receiving a message. Snap a photo with your device and share with all your Tinder matches at once. Tinder is app-style speed dating with the swipe of a finger.
Is It Any Good?
Although it may be an online version of the way a lot of public in-person matches happen -- first-look impressions leading to brief conversations -- the app's reputation as a spot to find casual sex means it's not a good place for teens. Also, the constant focus on "liking" and "passing" on people's images with only a brief glance turns dating into a purely physical, impersonal game of judging people on appearance. Its importance in the modern dating scene may be debatable, but the fact that it's inappropriate for teens is not.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about age appropriateness. Tinder is designed for older teens and adults, and updates to the terms of use indicate that it's only for those 18 and up.
Tinder's looks-only "like" or "pass" matchmaking style may send some users into a self-criticism frenzy if they don't receive a lot of "likes." Read Common Sense's blog post "Is Social Media Giving Your Teen a Negative Body Image?"
What are your family's rules for safe teen dating? Discuss with your teens what you expect from them and what they should expect from others to be safe when it's time to enter the dating world.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows app
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: June 17, 2014
- Category: Lifestyle
- Publisher: Tinder
- Version: 4.0.2
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 7.0 or later, Android 2.2 and up
- Last updated: January 23, 2019
Our Editors Recommend
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