Teenagers Under 16 Using Tinder Every Day, Says McAfee Study

Teenagers under 16 are using SnapChat and Tinder every day, according to a new study by McAfee.

The internet security firm polled 2000 children and parents from the UK ahead of Anti-Bullying Week, which starts next Monday.

The study revealed that almost a third children have been bullied online.

This has doubled in the past 12 months.

Around 35% of kids said they received abuse online, and 40% said they had seen other people being picked on. This is up from 22% last year.

And regarding dating app Tinder, while only 17% of teenagers admitted to using the app every day, 46% of those were under-16.

A spokeswomen from Tinder said: “Users between age 13-17 can only match with other users in that same age range. Our terms of service prohibit misconduct, including fake profiles. Users that violate our terms of use are deleted from Tinder.”

The study also revealed that parents were less worried about their children being bullied online – halving from 45% the year before.

Andy Phippen, professor of social responsibility in IT at Plymouth University, said:

“There is a real gap between parental concern and the reality of what children face.

“While it is encouraging to see that these talks are happening, there are areas in which parents may not be completely aware of their children’s online behaviour.

“It’s time for parents to become more educated on social platforms, what ages they are suited for and the behaviour they encourage.

“Cyber-bullying happens across all platforms.”