If you or someone you know is affected by sexual abuse, assault or family violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor. In an emergency, call 911.
In the romantic glow of Valentine’s Day, the world of online dating might look appealing. After all, dating apps like Bumble, OKCupid, Tinder and Hinge have drastically changed the dating landscape and how people meet their romantic partners, and plenty of happy relationships have started by folks swiping right or sliding into DMs. But most anyone who’s used a dating app knows that everyone who met their match this way probably also had a negative experience of some sort somewhere along the line.Â
For me, it was the date that started with the guy remarking on how much I looked like the pictures in my profile — he didn’t look like his — and ended with me fibbing about having to make it to a fake event, with a fake brother. Still, though that was definitely a bad date, it was more or less harmless, especially when you consider the safety risks of online dating.
These apps make dating even more complicated, particularly when it comes to sexual violence, said Scott Berkowitz, president of RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, one of the US’ largest organizations devoted to addressing sexual violence. More than three out of four sexual assaults are committed by someone the person knows, Berkowitz said, and a significant number of those start in social situations like parties or dates.
At the same time, about 30% of Americans have used a dating site or app — up to 53% for adults under 30 — and nearly half of all users have experienced some kind of harassment, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center study. This includes being sent an unwanted sexually explicit message; having someone continue to contact the user after that user had said they weren’t interested; being called an offensive name; or…
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