A recent study reveals that a “very worrying” amount of predators discover their victims through dating apps.
Between 2017 and 2020, researchers from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah studied the data of nearly 2,000 sexual assault victims and discovered that 14% of the assaults occurred after the victims met on a dating app.
The results of the study, which were published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, were “very alarming,” according to Dr. Julie Valentine of BYU, who found an increase in victims reporting sexual assault after meeting someone on a dating app.
Another disturbing pattern was the prevalence of mental illness among the targeted victims, as well as the escalation in violence.
“Those with mental problems such as depression may be more vulnerable to a predator who might, for instance, lavish them with compliments and convince them to meet in person,” Valentine noted in a press release. In a dating app, users can present themselves in whatever way they choose to attract susceptible individuals.
College students are the age group most likely to be targeted, and the present safety precautions on dating apps, a written declaration, are inadequate, according to researchers.
According to Valentine, the elimination of the screening procedure that occurs when meeting someone in person makes dating apps a possible “breeding ground”
“People used to meet through common friends, at work, or in school, and there was a degree of screening before dating,” she noted. “Dating apps have eliminated this process entirely.”
The authors of the study urge that dating app firms enhance their safety standards and have began writing the Online Dating Safety Requirements bill in Utah in partnership with dating apps and legislators. Valentine and her BYU colleagues believe that if the bill passes, other states would follow suit.
Valentine suggested that dating sites use artificial intelligence to identify possible perpetrators, investigate criminal histories, and interact with other dating apps to weed out serial offenders.
Valentine believes that despite the startling findings of the study, she does not want people to quit using dating apps; rather, she wants them to take extra safety steps.
She stated, “They are the most common way for happy couples to meet.” We wish to preserve this while increasing safety.