Grindr Introduces Age Verification in UK to Comply With Safety Law

New Grindr users in the U.K. will need to confirm that they’re over 18 years old before gaining access to the app beginning in July.

Using FaceTec biometric technology, Grindr’s age verification process requires users to compare a selfie video with an official photo ID. The site accepts photo ID in the form of driver’s licenses, passports, British Army ID cards, and PASS Proof of Age cards, to name a few, in an effort to make verification accessible to as many people as possible. 

Asking people to go to such lengths to confirm their identity may be reassuring to some Grindr users, but it also begs the question: Where is this sensitive information going? With scams on the rise, consumers want to know that they’re uploading selfies and sharing identifying information with an app for a good reason. 

And Grindr claims to have a good reason. Age verification on Grindr is an important process that keeps underage daters out of an adult-only space, and also discourages child predators from trolling what is intended to be a sex-positive dating platform for consenting adults.  

Age Verification Safeguards Queer Identities 

Security is a priority for today’s online daters. This is especially true for those who use LGBTQIA+ dating sites. People don’t always feel safe uploading private information about their lives or identity into platforms like Grindr, particularly in areas where queer identities are illegal or unwelcome. 

This is why established Grindr users in the U.K. will also have to complete the age-verification process, as will non-British Grindr users who want to use the app while visiting the U.K. 

Grindr assures users that it doesn’t ask for identifying information lightly. 

In its product announcement, Grindr insists that ID documentation, including selfie videos, are “securely encrypted” and “permanently deleted” once the user’s age has been verified. The app only records whether the user passed or failed, and which verification method they used. 

Like on any dating platform, an age verification process won’t appeal to every user — which is the whole point. “This is a fast, one-time check that helps keep Grindr safe, secure, and for adults only,” according to Grindr. 

Minors Benefit From Strong Age Restrictions

Earlier this year, a Surrey man was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy he’d met on Grindr. This is one example of many around the world. A 2018 Northwestern Medicine study determined that more than half of sexually active gay and bisexual adolescent boys met up with male sexual partners on dating apps like Grindr. 

And in 2021, the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting found that within a six-year period, more than 100 men in the U.S. were charged with sexually assaulting or harassing minors they met on Grindr. 

Clearly, minors benefit from strong age restrictions and age verification processes on dating apps. In fact, many queer adolescents turn to Grindr simply to socialize with people from the queer community, not necessarily to have sex.

There’s room in the industry for friendship and mentor-based social media platforms that are designed solely for queer adolescents. 

Of course, Grindr isn’t the only platform where predators have lured in their prey. Most social networking sites have not taken the necessary steps to completely block minors from joining their sites. 

When the U.K. introduced The Online Safety Act of 2023, age verification was one of its key goals. 

The UK Law Taking Aim at Online Safety 

The Online Safety Act of 2023 is a code of conduct for social media platforms in the U.K., including dating apps. It aims to keep minors and adults alike safe on the internet. 

“The Act requires social media companies to enforce their age limits consistently and protect their child users,” according to the OSA site. 

When Grindr announced its age verification process, it specifically referenced the Act’s new requirement that platforms intended for adults, like Grindr, must ensure that only people 18 and up have access to the platform. 

And with the Act consistently evolving to keep up with advances in tech (and scams), so, too, will Grindr: “We’ll continue monitoring global standards and evolving our tools to prioritize user safety, privacy, and rights,” Grindr says on its website. 

Grindr’s new age assurance process may only be in effect in the UK, but this will most likely change in the future. 

After all, every dating platform benefits when people are safe, secure, and age appropriate. Grindr said it itself: “This age assurance process reinforces what Grindr has always been: a space for queer adults.”