The effects of online dating differ a lot, there are positive and negative aspects to look at. It also depends if I support this or not because of a few different things, such as the age of the person.
If you are a 13 year old trying to find a partner online, you’re probably going to get scammed, because of how manipulative we are at a young age. It can even end in kidnapping if the child is encouraged to meet them in person. To avoid all the risks, I would say that I completely don’t support online dating for underage girls and boys, for the safety of them.
Going onto people over 18, there still needs to be caution, since we never really know who’s behind the screen. Some appear as lovely people and end up being abusers. Meeting someone online is not the same as meeting in person, their personality can completely change in unexpected ways.
In a positive aspect, let’s say you’re over 18, you meet your online partner in person and it all goes great. Are you physically ready for a long distance relationship? Many agree at the start, however overtime it becomes difficult, since the overthink consumes you, or just the thought of missing them.
If you can overcome this and be easily in a relationship like this I support it, but there are many effects that should be taken into consideration beforehand, like the ones mentioned and overall, caution and safety please!.
By Catherine Simmonds, Step 10
