Date Safe and Have Fun!

The internet is a scary place and online dating is probably far more dangerous than it used to be when the internet was still in its infancy. Nowadays, we hear more and more stories about catfishing or first IRL dates gone horribly wrong. People’s concerns are perfectly valid as you never know who is on the other end of the screen but there are a few things you can do to date safely.

Always Meet in Public

It should be common sense but you’d be surprised! Always make sure to meet in public places that have a high frequency of people. Whether it’s a bar, restaurant, fair you always want to make sure that there are a lot of people around. Don’t go to their house or invite them over to your place on the first date. Meeting in public will help ease your nerves as well as allow you to get to know your date before you decide to take things further.

Tell a friend where you’re going

Always make it a habit to tell someone where you’re going. Whether it’s a friend or a family member, you’ll feel much safer. Tell them where you’re going, who’s your date and approximately how much you plan on staying. You can agree on check-in at a certain time, whether it’s during the night or around the time you plan to get home. This way if you don’t check-in, your friend will know something might be wrong and they’ll know where to look.

Trust your gut

We’re not in tune with our instincts to the point where we can say for sure that something bad will happen. But our gut sometimes knows something’s up and tells us that it feels off. If it does, then go with your instinct and avoid the situation.

Try a dating safety app

The rise in popularity of online dating has sadly seen a rise in criminal activity as well. So not only are there a lot of dating sites, there are more dating safety apps. myDateTrackerAlert is a great app to try to give you peace of mind. You can type in all of the information you have on your date like full name, phone number, home address, and everything. Should you, for any reason, fail to check in with your friend, it will send them a message. The great thing about it? It will send a message even if your phone is off!

Make Your Own Rules and Stick With Them

Create your own set of rules for online dating and make sure to follow them, regardless of what your date might think. Like meeting in public for the first time for example. If your date doesn’t wanna meet in public, you stick to your rule and don’t yield. There’s no compromise with safety, so you should make a set of rules that ensure your safety and stick to them blindly.

In the end, online dating should be fun and you definitely can’t have fun if you’re scared for your safety. So take control and have yourself some safe online fun!