Dating apps such as Grindr, Tinder, and Bumble are strictly 18+ adult platforms — but underage teenagers do access them. Why they are unsafe for children and how to respond.
Official age
18+
We recommend
18+
Developer
Various (Grindr LLC, Match Group, Bumble Inc.)
Risks
4
Grindr, Tinder, Bumble, and similar dating apps are designed for adults and require users to be 18 or over. They are not teen apps — but children sometimes create accounts with a false date of birth, and because these platforms connect strangers for the explicit purpose of meeting up, an underage user is placed in direct contact with adults seeking relationships. Grindr in particular has been repeatedly linked to adults contacting underage boys.
A minor who lies about their age can browse and message adult strangers and be encouraged to meet in person or share intimate images. There is no version of a dating app that is appropriate for a child: the entire model is adults seeking romantic or sexual connections, and age checks are easily bypassed with a false birth date.
Age requirement
Location: Account creation
Set to: These apps are 18+ — a child should not have an account at all
Unlike social apps where settings can reduce risk, dating apps have no child-safe configuration. The correct setting is that a child does not use them.
Reporting an underage user
Location: In-app report, or the platform's safety/help centre
Set to: Report any account you know belongs to a child so the platform removes it
If you discover your child — or another child — has an account, report it to the platform to have it taken down, and check who they have been in contact with.
Check your child's phone for dating apps (they may be hidden in folders or renamed)
Time: 10 minutes
If you find one, stay calm, find out who they have been talking to and whether they have met or planned to meet anyone, and preserve evidence
Time: 30 minutes
Remove the app, report the underage account to the platform, and if an adult has made contact, report to CEOP and the police
Time: 20 minutes
In immediate danger: call 999. For non-emergency police matters, call 101.
Concerned about a child but it's not an emergency? NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000. Childline for young people 0800 1111.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-27