Teen dating app safety: parental control solutions

Even though teen dating is frowned upon, that doesn’t negate their burning desire to seek romantic partners. However, what teenagers fail to realize is that their hormones heighten their emotions and make them more impulsive. Kids lose the ability to make sound decisions about their relationships and just give in to the temptations. For this reason, parental support is always needed by children when they are using a teen dating app or meeting someone in real life. Otherwise, they will end up doing stuff they will regret later on in life. 

Should teen dating receive full support?

Teen dating shouldn’t ever receive full support as kids aren’t ready to make mature decisions about their spouses at this age. Most of the time, children in their teens only act on their impulses and follow their hearts. They don’t realize that the exhilarating feeling of love can just as quickly turn into heartbreak and make them dysfunctional. So, even though parents have to guide their teens in the right direction when dating, they should also help their children avoid it as much as they can. 

All the glamour in teen dating is driven by hormones and their perception of making love. Teens don’t focus on competing with a partner; they just want to have a good time with anyone who agrees. For this specific reason, you’ll find that most states prohibit teen dating while others allow it after a kid is above 16. 

Potential risks in teen dating

I’ve seen many parents claim that their kids are just having fun when dating as teenagers, but they couldn’t be more wrong. A lot of internal and external risks are involved in teen dating, which might permanently affect a child’s development. So, it’s not a matter you can take casually. 

First of all, puberty hormones can cause teens to give in to their primal temptations. According to the Newport Academy studies, the increase of testosterone in males and estrogen in females during puberty can create uncontrollable sexual urges in teens. They will lose reason, and their only goal would be to satisfy their primal needs.

This hormone-driven decision-making will promote aggressive and violent behavior in your kids. They will make irrational decisions and do embarrassing things just to get approval from their partners. Moreover, once they get intimate, they might end up regretting their decision. So, it is your responsibility as a parent to keep them away from making such dumb mistakes. 

Secondly, Medical Xpress states that many sexual predators are using teen dating apps to flatter young children and exploit them to fulfill their sexual needs. The current online dating environment is just a hunting ground for predators who want to target young children. So, even if you teach your kids to control their impulses, you can’t keep them protected from predators all the time. For this reason, it is best to never let your kids near teen dating apps. Otherwise, they will end up a victim and you’ll have no one but yourself to blame for all of it. 

Your teen needs safety guidance

Now, as a parent, you might think that you should outright ground your kid and never let them out of your sight. However, doing that will only complicate the situation further and make your teen rebellious. Instead, you need to practice open communication with your child with love and respect. You need to help them discover the dating world while providing some guiding rules, like not staying at their date’s house or spending limited time.

Anyhow, your focus shouldn’t be on just stopping your teens but on helping them safely figure out what they want in a partner. Moreover, you should also be open about your own dating experiences (the good and the bad). These experiences will help your child realize how to navigate tricky situations in their own relationship. Everything boils down to how you help your child build healthy boundaries and respect in a relationship. 

Teen dating advice for parents

A parent’s job can be pretty tricky when it comes to keeping their teen safe in the current dating environment. Instead of only acting as a concerned observer, parents should be actively engaged in keeping their children safe. Here are some ways you can help your teen have a safe relationship with whomever they choose. 

• Implement a strict curfew on your teen so they can’t stay out late with their partner. 
• Have open communication about safe practices in a relationship. 
• Educate your kid about relationship abuse. 
• Be actively on the lookout for signs of abuse. 
• Help your children develop realistic expectations. 
• Teach your kids about consent and being respectful in a relationship. 
• Make your kids realize that they can always come to you to talk about anything. 
• Try using parental control tools to keep an eye on their kid’s activities. 

6 free teen dating apps

Yubo

You need to be at least 13 years old to be on this application, and it helps users meet other Gen Z members across hundreds of countries. The community thrives on making friends of the other gender, but people prefer to use it as a dating application. Here are some features you’ll get from Yubo. 

• Live streaming and sharing your day with friends. 
• Hosting watch parties. 
• Exploring new cultures and people with similar interests. 

Spotafriend

This app is more like Tinder for kids, where the users can get pictures of other teens in their region. From there, the users can either decide to swipe right or left, depending on their preferences for a partner. Even though this app is called “Spotafriend,” you’ll find teens using it to arrange dates with other teens in their area. Anyhow, here are the features you’ll get from Spotafriend. 

• A dedicated chat room is available to talk to similar-minded people. 
• Swipe through thousands of profiles in your region. 
• Create custom profiles to show your best self. 

MyLOL

Sounds like a fun app, right? Many people consider MyLOL to be the best teen dating app out there because of its user base. There are millions of accounts on this platform, and the majority of users are from the US. However, when it comes to the interface, it is subpar, to say the least. Here are the features you can expect from MyLOL. 

• Send and receive private messages to other teens within the app. 
• Specific gender and preference filter to match with the perfect partner. 
• Paid features like a vote counter to boost your self-esteem. 

Wizz

The Wizz app has an age limit of 13 and above with a robust age verification system. It is a pretty famous application and the only one with decent age regulations. So you won’t have to worry as much about your kid getting in contact with a predator. Here are some features of the Wizz app. 

• Put up stories to showcase your best side in your profile. 
• Enjoy quirky emojis and a decent chat room. 
• Discover new people within the same age group. 

Discord

Even though Discord is a chatting application primarily for gaming purposes, a lot of dating communities and servers have formed within it. Many teenagers use Discord to meet and talk with people of similar ages and interests. However, the regulations and restrictions within this app are minimal. So, you’ll have to keep an eye on your child when they are on Discord. Anyhow, you’ll get a ton of features from this app. 

• Voice and video calls. 
• Live streaming and watch parties. 
• Sharing content. 
• Meeting new people. 
• Exploring new communities and servers. 
• Enjoying music and different bots. 

Wink Dating

Wink follows a similar concept as Tinder but focuses a lot on profile verification within the application. It might take a while to create and customize your profile, but at least you will know that you’re talking to a person with similar interests and hobbies. However, a few people have complained about minor glitches within the app. Here are the features you can expect from the Wink teen dating app. 

• Go through verified profiles only within the application. 
• It helps you specify if you’re just looking for friends or a serious relationship. 

Are those popular dating apps safe for teens?

These apps might be targeted at teens, but that doesn’t mean that they are safe at all for your child. There are many safety and privacy concerns that will impact your kid’s life if they use this teen dating app. So, go through the following list of safety concerns. 

• Any stranger or predator can reach out to your child by using these apps. 
• Kids can share their explicit photos with a partner and later get exploited. 
• The age verification in most apps is subpar, to say the least. 

Parental control solutions for teen dating safety

I know that every parent wants to put their trust in their child and believe that their kid will make the right decision. However, most of the time, parents aren’t even aware of the activities their child is getting involved in. I mean, when was the last time you asked your kid to show them their phone? Can’t remember, right? It can be pretty inconvenient to ask for your kid’s permission every time you want to peek at their activities. So, if you’re dealing with some rebellious teenagers, I’d suggest using parental control apps. These apps will help you monitor and track your child’s every move. Moreover, you will be able to easily nudge them in the right direction by using such apps, especially when it comes to teen dating. 

Parental control apps for teen dating safety

Many personal control tools have been introduced in the past couple of years, each having its own pros and cons. I’d suggest that you go through the following options if you’re new to such a concept. 

FlashGet Kids

FlashGet Kids is one of the latest parental control tools with an abundance of advanced parental control features. It offers everything from basic controls like screen time limits to advanced features like screen mirroring and remote access to your kid’s phone camera. So, if you’re considering using a parental control tool, I’d recommend starting out with FlashGet Kids. 

FamiSaf

Even though the features offered by FamiSafe aren’t the most advanced, it will still get the job done. You will find many parents saying good things about this teen dating app because it has been in the market for years. So, if you’re leaning more towards a tried and tested app, going with FamiSafe is a good idea. 

Bark

When you’re looking for an exceptional blend of location tracking features and live monitoring, Bark is a good option. This parental control tool excels in giving real-time location updates while also offering other advanced features like keyword tracking. So, whenever your kid gets curious about sexting or mature content, you’ll get an alert on your phone through Bark. 

How to use parental control apps to improve dating safety for teens?

You can use parental control apps like FlashGet Kids to improve dating safety for teens by monitoring their every move. This application will allow you to set up phone usage limits and forbid your kid from downloading a new teen dating app. Moreover, you can use the live monitoring features like screen mirroring to see what your kid is doing at all times. Here is how to get started with FlashGet Kids to protect your teen in the dating scene. 

1. Download and install the application on your phone.

2. Create an account on FlashGet Kids after launching the application. 

3. Download the kid’s version of this app from your child’s device browser. 

4. Bind both apps by following the instructions in the app. 

5. Open the parental control tool on your phone and go to usage limit. 
6. Define app time limits and enable “Forbid new apps.”

7. Head over to live monitoring and tap on the “screen mirroring” feature. 

Conclusion

Kids can be dumb and don’t know the impact of teen dating on their mental health. They are just driven by hormones and lack the ability to make sound decisions. So, if your child is starting to use a teen dating app, you need to step in as a parent. All your focus should be on steering your child in the right direction and making sure they don’t end up doing something they will regret later on. However, also respect their boundaries and rely on parental controls to monitor your child. Otherwise, your child might become rebellious and get more curious about inappropriate relationships with different partners.