One in four preteens on dating sites and apps identify as LGBTQIA+.
- Pre-teen boys and youth identifying as LGBTQIA were more likely to date online.
- Dating apps can help young lesbian, gay and bisexual people avoid stigma and find a partner more easily.
- To mitigate the risks associated with online dating, “parents should set rules as part of a family media use plan.”
Although most dating apps have a minimum age of 18, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (USA) recently revealed that pre-teens are using them. To reach this conclusion, they conducted a study published in the journal BMC Research Notes.
Boys are more likely to date online than girls
In their work, they examined the prevalence, associations between sociodemographic factors (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity, household income, parental education) and online dating behaviors. To do this, the team analyzed data from 10,157 adolescents, mostly aged 11 to 12, who participated in a cohort on adolescent brain cognitive development. The information was collected between 2018 and 2020. The young volunteers answered questions about the use of online dating apps and their sexual orientation.
The results showed that 38 young people reported having used a dating app. Pre-teen boys were nearly three times more likely to date online than girls. “Previous research has shown that half of boys said social media and apps helped them feel emotionally closer to their partner, compared to 37% of girls,” said Kyle T. Ganson, co-author of the study.
Dating apps make it easy to “identify other LGBTQIA+ users”
Identifying with a sexual and gender minority (for example, lesbian, gay or bisexual) was associated with greater odds of online dating, the scientists found. “Lesbian, gay, or bisexual teens, including preteens, may have few options for romantic partners in their schools, where they may also face discrimination, bullying, and stigma because of their sexual orientation. Dating apps can make it easy for teens to identify other LGBTQIA+ users near them, while it can be harder to determine a potential partner’s sexual orientation in real life,” has explained Jason Nagatawho led the work.
While dating apps may have benefits, the authors say parents and sex education programs should provide guidance to mitigate the risks associated with online dating, such as cyberbullying, manipulation, exploitation, privacy violations and the sharing of inappropriate content. “Parents should talk to their children about media use, including online dating, and set rules as part of a family media use plan.”