Some names are replaced with letters for legal purposes.
Like many Grant High School students, R created her Tinder account as a joke.
“My friend set me one up. I guess we were just bored and she was like, ‘Aha, let me do this’ and I was like, ‘All right, cool,’” says R. “Then I started using it.”
Tinder is one of many dating apps which allow their users to view the online profiles of others to meet new people. Users include photos, as well as hobbies and interests, on their profile in an attempt to create a “match” with other users. On Tinder, users “match” when both swipe right on each other’s profiles.
R never intended to take Tinder seriously, yet with each “match”, she felt an adrenaline rush.
One “match” particularly excited her. They shared similar senses of humor, and his wit shone through their conversation. He was also two years older, which then 15-year-old R found enticing. After 15 minutes of talking on Tinder, they moved to Snapchat where their relationship further developed.
“I was just interested in meeting possibly someone older than me at the time,” she says. “And it was just interesting and kind of exciting.”
For R, Tinder became a source of amusement. “It was like a game, basically,” she says. “You just swipe right, swipe left and it just kind of became fun.”
R’s use of Tinder is part of a common trend among Grant students. Many download the app for fun but quickly get sucked in. “I think it kind of acted as any other social media app like Instagram, in how a bunch of us won’t admit that we’re addicted to Instagram. But I think I went through a phase when I was sort of addicted to Tinder because it had that dopamine releasing effect that Instagram does,” says R.
Like many other social media apps, Tinder can become dangerous.
One potential risk that high schoolers face when using Tinder is the issue of legality. Along with many apps and websites that have an age limit, Tinder requires users to confirm that they are 18 or older. On Tinder, this confirmation can be achieved by simply typing in one’s date of birth, and does not require users to provide any other forms of identification.
But legality issues have not stopped teenagers from using the app. Despite the minimum age limit, seven percent of Tinder users are between the ages of 13 and 17 according to Global Web Industry.
Attorney Thomas Hagen says that the leniency of Tinder’s age regulation policy is due to its rise in popularity among underage users. “From what I’ve read, all they do is ask whether you’re 18,” Hagen says. “If bouncers in bars just asked if you’re 18, then half of the kids in America would be drunk every birthday from the time they were 14.”
Hagen points out that providing a false age on any app breaks many regulations and laws. “You’ve breached a contract, and because there are some laws about falsifying information on a computer, you’ve also breached some federal statutes, some federal regulations,” he says.
Despite breaking federal laws, the most commonly faced penalty for using a false age on apps like Tinder is removal from the app.
On dating apps like Tinder, lying about age can be particularly unsafe, especially in cases where one person is 18 or over. Hagen says that under Oregon law, a relationship between an underage teenager and a legal adult can lead to serious consequences.
Eighteen-year-old senior Matt Sisco, who has a Tinder profile, agrees. “It comes down to the legality of statutory rape,” says Sisco. “If you go on a date with someone, hook up and find out they’re 16 or 17, then all of the sudden you’re accountable for that because they lied on the app.”
The results of the accountability of the adult in the scenario can be particularly harmful. Hagen says that it only takes an additional person to report the relationship between a legal minor and a legal adult for the adult to be prosecuted. “If they get prosecuted, they might only go to prison for three to six months, which is bad enough,” Hagen says. “Prison for three to six months is not exactly small potatoes when you’re 18 years old.”
He also adds that the accused would have to register as a sex offender for the rest of their life. “Every time that they go to apply for a job, (if) they wanted to join the army, certainly if they ever wanted to run for office, that would follow them for the rest of their lives.”
When minors are “matching” with adults, they are susceptible to “matching” with predators as well.
R says that she is unsure whether or not Tinder users usually reveal their real age upon meeting. “I feel like clearing it up and making sure this person is who they say they are is something that you should do. I don’t know if everyone lies or doesn’t lie,” she says.
The growth in popularity of dating apps among teenagers has some parents concerned about the impacts the apps can have on their children. Vesma Puharte, the mother of Grant sophomore Olisa Ikejiani, says that although she does not mind her own children using these apps, she worries about others. “If you are not very successful connecting to people in your own community, then you have sort of (a) wider net to meet people from somewhere else and, (if) you don’t get the response you’re hoping for … I think would be really heartbreaking for anyone,” she says.
However, Tinder only recently strengthened their restrictions in 2016, when they changed the minimum age requirement to 18. Tinder’s launch in 2012 allowed 13-year-olds on the dating platform. The app verified their users’ personal information through Facebook and created two platforms: One for those between the ages of 13 and 17, and one for those who were 18 years old or older. But through a statement issued in 2016, Tinder announced they would no longer deliberately serve minors. According to the online publication Techcrunch this 2016 policy reform only affected three percent of Tinder users.
Since then, Tinder has cemented its privacy clause: “Our services are restricted to users who are 18 years of age or older. We do not permit users under the age of 18 on our platform and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18.”
Tinder provided very little information on the reason for the change, only stating that they “believe this is the best policy moving forward.”
But teenagers are still compelled to use Tinder and other dating apps. Some apps, which specifically target their age demographic, have become widespread.
Olisa Ikejieni downloaded Yubo — an app targeted toward younger people who want to make friends outside of their community — as a joke. Yubo’s interface is nearly identical to Tinder, as swiping allows users to view profiles and make connections. Yubo also allows for live streaming and chatting, and, like the early release of Tinder, has two separate platforms for both minors and adults.
The app was initially called “Yellow,” released shortly after Tinder barred underage users from its platform. But after a teenage sexting scandal in Ireland, it was rebranded as Yubo.
Before Yubo’s rebranding, a 14-year-old girl spoke with the Irish Times and said that Yellow’s purpose was for “getting with” other people rather than building new friendships.
Grainier Long — CEO of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children at the time — told the Irish Times that Yellow’s negligence toward the sharing of personal images of underage users was “irresponsible.”
Although Yubo was created to help formulate internet friendships and currently serves 15 million users globally, Ikejieni has noticed how many minors use the platform as a way to find significant others.
“You see a lot of people looking for girlfriends, especially because they have a gender-based system, where you can select looking for either male gender, female gender, or both, right?” says Ikejieni. “But I know I have one friend that is a girl, and she goes through there with just guys only and they’re all like, ‘looking for a girlfriend.’”
Although Yubo attempts to separate the different age groups, the age verification process is as lenient and benign as Tinder’s. Those between the ages of 13 and 17 must verify that they have their parent or guardian’s consent to use the app. As specified in the Yubo Terms of Service, by clicking “sign up,” the user is agreeing that they are creating the account with the permission of their “legal representative.” However, according to Business Insider, a survey of 2,000 consumers found that 91 percent of people agree to terms and conditions before reading the fine print.
For many teenagers, the leniency surrounding the age verification is the main reason they use the apps. The potential anonymity of an online presence allows for a freedom that personal relationships lack. “I know there are a lot of people who feel more comfortable behind a screen, and like, people act really differently on Snapchat or any other social media platform,” says senior Theo Ackermann. “Some people are super shy and awkward so like, to help them start (socializing) on Tinder or a dating app maybe makes them feel more comfortable.”
However, the physical distance between a newly matched couple can create an emotional disconnect as well. “After talking to someone over the phone and creating this image in your head of what this person is going to act like and look like, and then actually meeting them is definitely going to vary from going on a date from someone you know,” says R. “Your image of them could totally contrast to what they actually are.”
Ikejieni has noticed similar trends on Yubo. He also believes that teenagers use apps like Yubo to seek validation. “Anyone that would want validation for others would go on there and be like, ‘Oh, lemme see what other people would think of me,’” says Ikejieni. “It’s such an easy way to get, you know, an unbiased opinion, someone that you don’t know, a stranger, so even if they do say something bad you could feel distant from it I would imagine. But if they say something good, it’s just bounds and bounds of validation because you feel (unattached) from them.”
Ackerman agrees. “It’s a way to hide behind your screen and give your own opinion without judgment,” he says.
Despite the addictive nature of the apps and the increased use among minors, many have little to no regulation. Ikejieni has observed many examples of inappropriate and illegal content that minors have been allowed to post.
“I know a lot of people put it in their bio, ‘Looking for a smoke buddy’ or so on or so forth, and I know that in live streams that is totally unregulated. I’ve seen people go from JUULing to using dipping tobacco,” says Ikejieni. “And I can’t blame (the app). You can’t blame the app for not having perfect algorithms, but it is something, especially in that minor-only environment, that you have to be aware of.”
The negligence toward regulation can often lead to experiences in which underage users feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
An anonymous Grant senior had downloaded Tinder out of boredom, and after having the app for four months, one specific “match” made her feel particularly uneasy. “I thought this guy looked super familiar, so I was like, okay, I’ll just swipe right ‘cause whatever, I’ll figure it out,” she says. “And I went to (soccer) practice that same night and it turned out he was a coach at my club. He’s super young.”
The anonymous student made eye contact with the coach at practice and quickly “unmatched” with him as soon as she got home.
For others, using dating apps can have even more serious implications.
This validation is “dangerous,” – R.
An anonymous Grant junior began talking with someone from a different Portland high school after “matching” on Tinder. Later in the conversation, the student asked an inappropriate question about her body.
“It was very uncomfortable for me because I haven’t been in one of those situations where someone said that directly to me so I didn’t really know how to respond,” she says.
After the initial troublesome interaction, the two exchanged Snapchats and began contacting each other through that social media platform. Eventually, the anonymous Grant junior received an unsolicited and inappropriate picture.
“It’s made me more cautious on who I’m talking to,” she says about the experience.
Despite the potential safety concerns, teenagers have been hesitant to stop using dating apps.
For many, the sense of validation coupled with the bright colors and entertaining layouts make it difficult to log off the apps. “I think Tinder wants that to happen because when you get a match, your whole screen blows up, there’s sparkles everywhere and their face, the other person’s face pulls up and is like, ‘Message them now!’” says Ackermann.
This validation is “dangerous,” says R. “It’s sort of like depending on this social media act to feel good about yourself, which is super toxic but we all do it,” says R. “I’m trying to get out of that, but I think just being in high school … it’s an easy outlet to receive some sort of validation.”
As of now, Tinder and other apps have not mentioned any plans to increase the rigidity of age regulations.
However, some students have noted the specific steps Tinder has taken toward a safer app. The anonymous Grant junior has also noticed that although swearing often does not get flagged, messages containing sexually explicit content do. “If someone sends an explicit message on the app, there will be something that pops (up) saying ‘We found explicit messages, do you want to keep talking to this person?’ And you can say yes or no, so I feel like that’s a pretty big safety,” says the anonymous Grant junior.
Regardless of how safe high school students feel using apps such as Tinder, the issue of legality remains. “Are there people who are under the age of 18 and are mature enough to have that kind of relationship, and make those kind of decisions? Sure. Are there people under 21 who are mature to handle the responsibilities to handle drinking? Yes there are,” says Hagen. “But the law doesn’t want to have to consider each and every individual and have a test and try to determine maturity.”
