How Do I Stay Safe While Dating Online?

Safety is a primary concern in online dating. While most encounters are benign, the potential for fraud or harm necessitates proactive safety practices.

Evidence & Expert Perspectives
Research on online dating risks highlights the importance of cautious self-disclosure. Users who share personal information too quickly increase their vulnerability (Whitty & Buchanan, 2012).

Meeting safety is also critical. Studies show that public first meetings significantly reduce risks compared to private encounters (Choi, Wong, & Fong, 2017).

 
Best practices for online dating safety include:

• Meeting in public for the first few dates, and using your own means of transportation to and from the dates.

• Informing a friend or family member of plans, and using the “share location” feature on your mobile phone.

• Avoiding oversharing personal details until trust is established.

• Do not bring a stranger into your home, or go to theirs, until a relationship is firmly established

• Some experts recommend using a “burner” phone for online dating contacts, instead of giving the person your regular contact details. This is a good idea, until it is evident that the relationship will be more than short-term.

 
Safety in online dating is achieved through caution, awareness, and boundaries.

👉 For structured practices on safe dating, see my course Finding Love Again.

References

• Choi, E. P. H., Wong, J. Y. H., & Fong, D. Y. T. (2017). The problem of dating app sexual violence: A qualitative study of female users in Hong Kong. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 32(14), 2131–2157.

• Whitty, M. T., & Buchanan, T. (2012). The online romance scam: A serious cybercrime. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15(3), 181–183.