Which app is safe for dating

Online dating definitely has its perks — it makes it way less intimidating to approach someone you’re into, especially if you’re on the shy side. You can tweak your profile so you never have to worry about flubbing your first impression. And your pool of potential crushes isn’t limited to the handful of people you see at school every single day, so you have way more options.

Most dating apps have pretty strict age restrictions, though, so it can be hard to find one that’s actually geared towards teens. But there are a few decent options — with stronger safety features and less of a sketchy hookup culture happening — out there for the under-21 crowd.

Of course, that doesn’t mean these apps are 100% safe. You still need to follow the usual online safety precautions — never give out your home address, look for synced social media profiles to make sure you’re not getting catfished, and if you decided to meet up, make it somewhere reeeeeally public.

With that said — if you’re ready to give online dating a shot, here are a few teen-friendly options.

Coffee Meets Bagel

Age limit: 18 and up
Available for:iOS and Android
What's good:If you're looking for a relationship, this is the app for you. Every afternoon, the app will curate a list of matches it thinks you will like, meaning there's no endless swiping. Don't know what to say once you get a match? The app will suggest icebreakers to get the convo started.

What's bad: When using any dating app you have the threat of getting in contact with an unsavory character. Luckily, CMB has a great report feature so if there's anyone making you feel uncomfortable, you can let the app know.

Happn

Age limit: 18 and up
Available for:iOS and Android
What's good: Happn combines the experience of meeting someone in real life with using a dating app. Every time you cross paths with another user of the app (literally) it will show on your timeline. Meaning, if you're 1 to 850ft away from a user, you will get access to their profile and vice versa. This means, if someone else in school, at your gym, or anywhere else you hang out, is also using the app, you'll know.

What's not: While it's cool to see that your crush at school is also on the app, you may also pass a creepy guy on the street who is a user. Don't worry though, because there are settings you can change to avoid this, like age restriction.

Skout

Age limit: 17 and up
Available for:iOS and Android
What's good: Skout’s “shake to chat” feature — shake your phone and get randomly paired in a chat with someone nearby — is basically the online-dating-app equivalent of randomly bumping into your soulmate at a coffee shop, rom-com-style. But if you’d rather not leave it up to chance, you can scroll through profile photos and tap one to start a chat or leave a comment.
What's not: We probably don’t need to tell you that random chat encounters with strangers can get kinda weird, kinda fast. Also, while the app is free, some features are only accessible with a premium account, which costs $9.99 a month.

Taffy

Age limit: 17 and up
Available for:iOS
What's good: One of the crappy things about dating apps is that you’re making a snap judgment based on someone’s profile pic — so you could end up vetoing your soulmate just because they're not your usual type. The fun thing about Taffy is that everyone’s profile is blurry at first, and the more you chat with someone, the clearer their photo becomes — so by the time you know what they really look like, you already have a pretty good feel for their personality.
What's not: The app has only been around for a few months, so you may not find a ton of locals on there.

Yubo

Age limit: 12 and up
Available for:iOS and Android
What's good: Yubo, formerly known as Yellow, feels kind of like a cross between Tinder and Snapchat — you can swipe right on profiles that look interesting and chat via live video. The app has also added a bunch of safety features, like cell phone verification to keep fake profiles from cluttering up the site — but creepers can own cell phones too, so you still have to be careful.
What's not: The swipe feature can make it feel pretty superficial, and while it’s supposed to be geared towards making new friends, a lot of people use it as a casual hookup site. Also, the Android version is missing a few key features — so if you don’t have an iPhone, you may want to skip it for now.

Bumble Date

Age limit: 18 and up
Available for:iOS and Android
What's good: This is another right-swiping app, but with a twist — Bumble has a “women make the first move” rule, which means you need to reach out within 24 hours or the match expires. (In same-sex pairings, either person can make the first move.) This cuts down on the number of unsolicited D-pics and eggplant emojis, which is always a good thing.
What's not: If you’re not a fan of making the first move, this probably isn’t the app for you.

Nearify

Age limit: none
Available for:iOS and Android
What's good: Okay, so this isn’t technically a dating app — but it can make “offline” dating a little less awkward, and that’s everything. Nearify lets you view a list of local events and invite friends who might be interested. You can also sync it with your Facebook profile to see what events your friends are attending — so, you know, you can just happen to show up at that concert your crush is attending.
What's not: Not everyone is super-active on Facebook, so you might not be able to see what your friends are up to. And since it’s not a dating app, you won’t get “matched” with anyone — but it can make it a little easier to casually suggest an IRL date night.