Tinder, the matching application, has announced that only 18+ users will be allowed on the platform starting next week. By only affecting 3 percent of their user’s database, the company hopes to provide a safer environment on the application.
Since it’s launch on 2012, the app has allowed users from 13 years and older with a Facebook account to access it. Matching teenagers with friends and people only in their age range. Two years after, in 2014, the app had registered over one billion users.
The application works with a location-based data and allows communication between nearby users that have liked each other previously on the platform.
Tinder works by “swapping.” Users can view profiles from people near them according to their sexual orientation and age range. To like a profile, the user has to swipe right and to unlike it the user will swipe left.
The app founded by Sean Rad won the 2013 TechCrunch’s Crunchie Award for the “Best New Startup” and had since grown to be one of the first matching apps used in the world with about twelve million matches per day.
Adults only
Seeking to enhance user safety, Tinder is now going to be available for 18 years old or older only, although, before this change, the app had two different communities and isolated the 13 to 17 years-old from the rest.
“On a platform that has facilitated over 11 billion connections, we have the responsibility of constantly assessing our different user experiences. Consistent with his 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,” announced Tinder’s VP of communications, Rosette Pambakian.
The company expects the change will be welcomed by the parental community to collaborate with child and teenage safety on the web. However, many assured this will not prevent teenagers from creating false Facebook profiles with higher age to gain back the use of the application.
Changes on the platform
Tinder has been updating and changing its platform since its launch. In January, the company’s CEO, Sean Rad, announced that the Tinder team started to work on a more trans-friendly platform.
Given the fact that the application works entirely with genders female and male, the trans community hadn’t been able to enjoy the services Tinder provides.
“For a long time, we haven’t done enough to give them a good experience. It’s harder for them to get what they are looking for. We have to modify our experience to address that,” said Rad.
The company had an issue with a transgender user called Solomon, as reported by Techcrunch, who was banned from the app after another male user reported her for being transgender.
The app is currently experimenting with a new feature called “Tinder Social,” which is currently in beta testing in a small group of users in Australia. This feature seeks to create different groups of Tinder friends to find other groups for a future hang out.
Source: TechCrunch