The UK National Crime Agency has warned the users of casual sex apps, like Grindr and Tindr, to assure their partners are above the country’s required age of consent.
The latest warning comes after the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) experienced rise in complaints from teens reporting abuse on hook-up apps like Grindr.
However, the application developers declare that app users have to authenticate they are of apt age – over 17 years.
According to NSPCC, about 1,061 teenagers contacted its ChildLine to speak about online sexual exploitation.
NSPCC Child Safety Online head Claire Lilley told the BBC that these apps do have terms and conditions in place but they’re simply not being enforced and as a result children are being put at risk of serious harm.
"We know this because of the huge increase in calls to ChildLine over the last year about issues such as online grooming," Lilley said.
Hook-up apps have gained popularity among individuals seeking casual sex online as they provide the exact location of each user, rather than several well-known dating sites offering a general region.
Developer of Blendr and Grindr said in a statement: "We do our best to ensure all users follow our strict terms-of-service policy that require users to be at a minimum age of 18."
"We have a diligent team of moderators focused on monitoring and ensuring users adhere to our terms-of-service guidelines," they added.
