Males and females have always been finding ways to interact with each other. The current age of the internet and technology has made this quest much easier. Wink dating app is one such platform where boys and girls can contact each other.
But is this app safe for everyone? What to do if you find out your kid is using this app? In this article, we’ll discuss the app in detail and explore if it is appropriate for your kids. By the end of this article, you’ll know how to deal with this app keeping in view the safety and security of your kids.
Is Wink a dating app?
Yes. As the name suggests, Wink is a dating app. Wink users can contact and interact with each other. They mainly have a purpose to be in a short or long-term relationship.
When you sign up for this app, it asks for your purpose to use this app. The app asks you to tell if you are looking to flirt, make new friends, or be a little spicy.
Parents need to understand these facts, as this app is solely meant for adults dating and even for hookups.
Who can use the Wink dating app?
This app is basically designed for teenagers and above. A user had to indicate his or her age before starting to use this app.
The good thing about this app is that a child who is below the age of 13 years cannot log in to this app. But that doesn’t mean that your below-13-year-old kid cannot join this app. Users can lie about their age to be able to use this app. They just have to show that they are older than 13 years. The Wink dating app doesn’t verify the age from any legal document.
Even if your kid is a teenager, there may be options in this app that parents may not allow for their kids. So, the parents need to know about this app. Responsible parents must be cautious about their kid’s activities on such apps. In the following section, we’ll explore how this app works.
How does the Wink app work?
This app is very simple to use. You have to download this app from the app store and fill up your information while signing up for an account on this app.
You can enter any details you want, but this app encourages you to stay truthful. The information you need to enter includes name, date of birth, and gender preferences.
You can select the gender and ask this app to show the matches based on your preferences. A user is free to choose a person from any gender. Even if you are a male and you are interested in males, this app will let you do it.
What information do you need to share with the Wink app?
You must share the real information related to your age, photo, and location. Unlike other dating apps, the Wink dating app doesn’t allow the creation of fake profiles, as it checks a few features automatically.
There is no doubt that you will have to give some permissions for this app to work properly, such as notifications and accessing your photos and videos.
Another feature of this app is to check your location. You don’t have to enter your location manually in this app. You just need to allow this app to get access to your location services, then it will update your location automatically.
So, users can’t also lie about their location on this app. These features of the Wink app ensure transparency and truthfulness. But a few people may also have some reservations about this feature. If a user is not comfortable showing the real picture and sharing the real location, he or she can’t do anything about it.
Is the Wink app safe?
Yes. The Wink dating app is safe to use. There is a high chance of fake profiles on other dating apps. However, the Wink app doesn’t allow you to change the location or the profile picture in your profile. So, you can be sure that Wink users are genuine at least for their pictures and location.
The profile verification includes real-time location and picture validation. The Wink app has a special feature to check for the reality of the uploaded pictures. This automatic feature captures your live picture and matches it with the one you uploaded.
If the picture you uploaded doesn’t match your live picture, the picture will not be uploaded. As a result, you won’t get matches and you can’t see any information about other Wink users without having a profile picture. You may write anything in your bio, but you can’t enter the wrong details for your picture and location.
What are the concerns of the Wink dating app?
Let’s briefly discuss some of the potential concerns and risks of the Wink dating app in the section below:
- Personal privacy: Wink users have limited privacy. That’s because you can’t hide or change the location data. You also have to reveal your real face using this app. So, it may concern people who want to keep their identity hidden.
- Online fraud: Wink users are prime to getting online scams. Just like any other app, this app is also not free of scammers. You need to proceed with caution using this app, especially while sharing your sensitive information.
- Cyberbullying: There may be some Wink users who want to bully others. This can pose some threats to underage users. So, parents would want to keep their children protected from such cyberbullying.
- Data sharing: This app may store your data, like your email and contact details. It may also share your data with other websites or apps for marketing purposes. If you don’t want to get more advertisements, this may be a point of concern for you.
- Paid services: This app has limited free features, for example, you can only like a few users in a day, and you also can’t see who liked you on this app. It charges a reasonable amount to users for accessing additional services. Your child may spend your hard-earned money to buy additional features.
- Emotional setbacks: This app is meant for dating and making relationships. If children experience failed or fake love affairs too young, it may affect them negatively in terms of mental health and emotions. Such setbacks may pose long-term psychological effects.
How can parents protect kids from apps like Wink?
Parents are always looking for solutions to ensure the safety and security of their kids. This worry increases with the digital lifestyle of the kids. Let’s discuss some tips to help parents protect their children from apps like Wink:
Tip 1: Use the FlashGet Kids app
The FlashGet Kids is a third-party parental control app. You can install this app on your kid’s device to keep an eye on every activity your kids perform on their devices. It even allows you to see the full screen of your kid’s phone on your own phone. You can also limit the usage of apps like Wink or restrict their daily screen time.
If you want to know if your kids use the Wink dating app, you can do it with the FlashGet Kids app. All you need to do is download and install the Child version of the FlashGet Kids app on your child’s phone.
Tip 2: Kids counseling
You need to develop a strong bond with your kids. They will learn with your advice and counseling. Getting to know their friends and staying connected with them is essential for meaningful communication with your child.
Even if your kids want to use the dating app, you need to determine whether they are old enough to do such things. You also need to check if any better options are available for them.
It is essential to encourage them to report any harmful things when using other social media platforms to interact with other people. Moreover, they need to understand what they are using and how it should be controlled.
Tip 3: Physical monitoring
Physical monitoring works best if you want to identify if they are under the effect of an app like Wink. If necessary, you should check your child’s phone directly to verify their ongoing activities. If they are using Wink or any other dating app, you need to take immediate action and educate your children via open and honest dialogues.
Conclusion
The Wink dating app is one of the most widely used dating apps. We have discussed the Wink dating app in detail. Most probably, your kids know about this app before you tell them. That’s why you need to be conscious about letting your kids use such apps. You must discuss everything with your kids.
To keep a close check on their children, it is a good idea to consider using a parental control app like FlashGet Kids. It will send you important notifications about your kid’s activities on his or her phone. You can track your kid’s location in real-time. You can also block or limit the usage of such dating apps using the FlashGet Kids app.
