Tinder has officially decided to put an 18 and above age rating on its app. Believe it or not, since its launch in 2012, users as young as 13 could hop on the dating service as long as they had a Facebook account.
Tinder made sure that its youngest members, aged 13-17, could only match with users of a similar age bracket.
That’s all about to change, according to a statement from the company, which states that it has decided to change its age policy after months of consideration, reports TechCrunch.
“On a platform that has facilitated over 11 billion connections, we have the responsibility of constantly assessing our different user experiences,” read the announcement from Tinder’s VP of communications, Rosette Pambakian. “Consistent with this responsibility, we have decided to discontinue service for under 18 users. We believe this is the best policy moving forward. This change will take effect next week.”
Tinder claims that the changes will affect less than 3 percent of its entire user base of 100 million. Its growing popularity has led to more scrutiny over its approach to sexual health awareness, safety, and diversity. As a result, the app has rolled out a number of changes, with more on the way.
Earlier this year, Tinder added a health and safety section to its website, including a link to Healthvana’s free HIV and STD testing site locator, following pressure from the Aids Healthcare Foundation. The company’s CEO also recently promised to add transgender options to the dating service, claiming that it is “the right thing to do for the world.”
Additionally, in April, the app began testing a group meetup feature in Australia in an effort to unlock the social potential of the platform. The fact that the app now boasts 1 million paying subscribers could also be the rationale behind its decision to refine what is already a lucrative product.
