The unsupervised online activities of teens are leading them towards the date rape no time ever before. Online dating is one of the root causes of teen rape. Cellphone technology has brought dozens of vulnerabilities in teen’s lives, and young teens are desperate to find someone online to go for a date without knowing someone in person before the intimate relationship.
Several social media apps, and typical online dating apps, like Tinder, have made teens vulnerable to rapist elements. Teens use social media and dating applications to interact with the opposite gender and often become the victim of date rapes. Parents need to monitor the online dating habits of teens. Parents can monitor on teens and preteens’ cell phone to safeguard them from date rapes using top Android spy apps, like TheOneSpy. It is one of the best applications that enables parents to protect teens from online and real–life dangers.
Before we go into the details of how parents can protect teens from online dating rape, let’s get to know about the term date rape.
What is Date Rape?
It is a term that refers to sexual assault by a person in a romantic relationship. Sexual assault committed somehow by the acquaintance. It is not based on sexual violence all the time, but no matter if teens and the male person having a date and teen refuse to give consent for sexual activity or due to mental infirmity known as date rape.
A waste majority of the teen victims, 80%, knew well about the rapist because they were in a romantic relationship.
According to BBC First Date Rapes Links to Online Dating
Most teen victims that reportedly stated to BBC have faced sexual assault because they were dating the offender for the first time in their life.
- The National Crime Agency (NCA) said that hundreds of alleged cases happened over the last decade, and 85% of the teen’s victims of date rape linked to online dating in the period of 2003 – 2021
- The agency said that online dating rape cases are still unknown, and most teens don’t report to police and even don’t discuss them with the parents.
- According to the statistics, 9 million people are using online dating apps
Date rapes are due to technology that has integrated into our lives. It was 2009, 2014, and today in 2024; online dating rape cases are at their peak times. Online dating applications allow teens and pre-teens to interact with strangers online by sharing profiles, photos, videos, names, and many more. Today, young teens can do messages, chat, make voice and video calls for free on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and on typical dating apps, like Tinder.
According to Sean Sutton of the NCA’s Serious Crime Analysis Section:
Few following facts make offenders commit a crime like Date rape.
- Offenders do believe that they are safe online while trapping teens and preteens via social media and online dating apps
- Offenders can turn sexual with teens online via chat and social media voice calls
- It deliberately uses social messaging and online dating apps intended to commit sexual assault on teens
- Offenders can easily trap teens online & then ask to meet in person for a first date
- Teens love to be a part of an adventures date in real –life with a stranger after meeting someone online
- Sex offenders are more likely to play with teen’s emotions and then force teens to meet in person for date rape
Mr. Sutton has added to BBC that offenders are reluctant to encourage victim teens to meet sooner than they have decided to have a first date. He further added that 43% of offenders and victims usually meet face to face after the first week of online dating.
Sutton further added that the parents should teach teens and pre-teens about the dangers of online dating, and they should supervise teen’s online activities. Victims should report it with the police and with the parents to get rid of others from date rape incidents.
The under discussion terms “date rape” has introduced in the 1980s to negate the rumor that rapes and sexual assault were committed by strangers only. Nowadays, cases are happening due to teens and pre-teens potentially romantic partner while on the date using online dating apps
How Online Dating Apps are Responsible for Teen’s Date Rape?
Dating apps are the root cause behind prevailing hookups and one-night stand culture among teens. Apps like Tinder, Bumble OkCupid, and others are available on the web, and teens used to download them on their cellphones and find matches.
They interact with strangers and likely with sex–offenders pretending to be a potential romantic partner. Moreover, social messaging apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram also widely used in teens for dating online.
There are following reasons that make online dating apps, Instant messaging and live video streaming/sharing apps responsible for teen’s date rape.
- 95% of the teens have digital phones & 80% of teens have internet access
- 75% of the teens spend hours and hours on social media apps
- 23% of the teens use online dating apps to find matches
- Teens send and receive text messages to strangers for hookups for free
- Teens share private photos and videos on social media, streaming and dating profiles
- Online predators are in massive strength on social media and dating apps
- Offenders more likely to choose social and online dating platforms to trap teens for sexual motives
Young teens are willingly using social dating applications to have one-night stands. Teens become the victim of date rapes because of emotional trust in potential romantic partners while dating in person. The unsupervised online dating and social messaging activity of the teens can lead them towards sex–offenders.
How Online Dating Apps are Responsible for Teen’s Date Rape?
Date rape drugs do exist, and every parent and young teens need to know about them. Parents that allow teens to go to parties and teens get involves in binge drinking activities secretly. More teens become the victim of date rape at late-night parties because acquaintances have used date rape drugs in drinks.
These are the drugs that enable users to rape another person by using drugs. People are more likely to use medicine and alcohol to sexually assault someone. The victim cannot defend herself against the assault, and the victim more likely to become semi-unconscious. Teens at night parties with their boyfriend can become the victim of strangers to whom they have met for the first time due to drugs in drinks.
There are few types of date drug abuse, like GHB, Rohypnol, Ketamine, Alcohol, and many more such as alcohol.
- Parents can guide teens that should pour their drinks and don’t get a drink from your partner to whom you are going to meet for the first time face to face
- Take care of your drink while on a date at a club or at the hidden whereabouts of your potential lover
- Avoid drinking stuff that seems unique in taste
- While going on a first date bring a close friend with you
- Allow your parents to track your Geo-location while on date
How can Parents Protect Teens & Preteens from Date Rape?
Parents are always concerned and have reservations about teens’ online dating over the last decade. Today, parents are trying to know what teens and preteens are doing on their cellphones installed on social media and online dating apps.
If you are struggling to protect teens from blind online dating habits and date rape, you need to teach the following things to your teens.
- Parents should guide teens rape is not about sex. It is a crime that is full of violence, aggression, and control
- Guide your teens if they are dating someone in person even then their partner cannot do sexual assault
- Parents should guide teens they should not go with the potential romantic partner at his house or hidden whereabouts
- Parents should guide teens not to drink anything if they go for a date for the first time to avoid date rape
- Guide your teens take your consent before going for a date
- Parents can teach teens how sexual predators create profiles to trap teens online for dating
- Teens should be mentally ready for a date and don’t take any kind of pressure from a romantic partner
- Take your cellphone with you and make a call or send text messages to parents if you think something is wrong with your lover
- Get to know about the person first not to dating profile
- Don’t go for a date if someone your lover is forcing you to be at his place
Why Should Parents use TheOneSpy to Safeguard Teens from Date Rape?
It is cellphone tracking application that parents can use to set parental control on teens and preteens cellphone devices. It enables parents to track every activity they perform on the phone connected to the cyberspace.
- You can track the live Geo-location of their teens when she is on a date with someone
- Parents can get to know when their daughter is planning a date with an online lover. Further, you can control your teen’s online dating app account.
- You can read text messages, chat conversations and record social media VoIP calls
- Parents can record live cellphone screens to watch teens’ activities on social networks & dating apps, like Tinder, Snapchat, Instagram, and many more.
- You can block incoming calls and text messages on teen’s cellphone remotely
- Users can create an electronic fence when teens enter or leave the house before & after dating
- Parents can watch photos and videos their teen has shared with people online
- You can record and listen to the surroundings if your teen is facing a date rape incident. A surround recorder can control a teen’s microphone and listen to surrounding voices, conversations, and screams of your child
- You can track the hidden whereabouts of your teen if she has gone on a date without your consent
- You can record and listen to live cellphone calls while your teens are talking to a romantic lover
Conclusion
Date rape is a reality, and teens and preteens are more likely to become a victim after meeting someone on a dating app or social media networks. Parents should look after teens’ online activities by setting cellphone parental control on their phones connected to cyberspace.
