Using Dating Platforms Responsibly
This site covers adult casual dating. That comes with a short list of things that are not negotiable and a longer list of things that reduce the risk of the rest.
Age
Every platform covered here requires users to be 18 or older, and this site is intended for adults only. Age checks on dating platforms are usually a self-declared date of birth with nothing behind them, which means the rule is enforced by the people following it.
If you are under 18, these platforms are not for you, and an adult approaching you on one is committing an offence rather than making a mistake.
Consent
Consent is specific, current, and revocable. Agreement to meet is not agreement to anything else. Agreement given to one person does not transfer to another, which matters particularly in the couples category.
Non-negotiable safety steps
Meet in public the first time, arrange your own transport, and tell one person where you are and when you expect to be back. Share live location with that person for the duration of the meeting.
Do not send money to anyone you have met online, in any form, for any reason, including investment opportunities. That request is a scam every time it appears.
Reporting
Report abusive accounts to the platform, and report crimes to the police. Screenshot before you report, since platforms remove accounts on report and rarely preserve the evidence for you.
Where a minor is involved, report to the NCMEC CyberTipline in the United States or CEOP in the United Kingdom. Both accept reports directly from young people.
Recognising a scam approach
Romance fraud follows a consistent shape: fast escalation of affection, an early move to a private messaging app, a reason they cannot video call, and eventually a request for money framed as an emergency or an investment opportunity.
The strongest single defence is refusing to leave the platform for the first two weeks. Every stage of that sequence depends on getting the conversation somewhere with no report history and no account to ban.