Key Takeaways
- As a dating app for singles aged 50 and older, Sequel believes in the power of both technical and human safety protections, unlike apps that rely solely on AI.
- Scammers are known to target middle-aged and older singles, so it’s essential for platforms designed for older daters to teach them how to protect themselves.
- By destigmatizing divorce, Sequel helps turn a vulnerable group into self-confident daters.
Platforms like SilverSingles, eHarmony, and OurTime fulfill a vital purpose: They empower older daters to explore romance within the comfort zone of their own age group. And there’s no denying that many of these platforms go the extra mile when it comes to educating older users about the potential risks associated with online dating.
But in this ever-changing world of AI and romance scams, there’s an opportunity for platforms that take safety even further. The aptly named dating app Sequel attempts to do just that, marketing itself as the first dating app for those aged 50 and over to not only screen for fake accounts, but to have a zero tolerance policy.
Sequel’s strict policy sets a new industry standard: Platforms tailored to vulnerable age groups must combat threats by taking a public stance against fake profiles, backing this stance with strong safety innovation, and educating users about what fake profiles look like.
After all, Sequel believes that older daters are “a generation that has earned the right to expect more” — including from the dating industry. And with over 37 million Americans aged 50 or older seeking new connections, this opportunity for innovation has quickly become an industrywide need for innovation.
A Unique Combination of Tech and Humanity
DatingNews recently reported that 45% of adults over 50 don’t know the signs of a romance scam, according to an AARP survey. Our coverage and AARP’s findings made it clear that it’s not a matter of whether older daters will be the target of scammers, but when.
And, no, the problem isn’t always that “old people are bad with technology” because, well, not every older person is hopeless with an iPhone.
The problem is much more complicated than that, involving, yes, an unfamiliarity with the nuances of tech, but also a heightened sense of loneliness, a need for connection, and a deep-seated shame about their own singlehood.
Unlike some apps, Sequel doesn’t believe in fighting tech with more tech. It takes a more innovative approach to safety with what it calls a “dual-layer integrity protocol.” This protocol combines AI innovation with human expertise by using both to determine a profile’s authenticity.
Sequel’s security is bolstered by human experience, not bound by it.
“The final decision to ban an account almost always rests with a human moderator,” Sequel’s Trust & Safety team told DatingNews. “This strategy allows us to quickly identify new, emerging scam tactics that might bypass purely automated logic.”
The zero tolerance policy extends to, as Sequel puts it, “synthetic photos and fake identities.” We know how certain AI tech can weasel out fake profiles — just look at Tinder’s Face Check for a particularly successful example — but it’s more rare to hear about the upsides of human moderation.
The hallmarks of a fake account aren’t always detectable to the untrained eye, and that includes AI. In this way, Sequel’s security is bolstered by human experience, not bound by it.
“User security and product development cannot exist independently,” the Trust & Safety team told us. “At Sequel, we constantly balance a feature’s value for users with user safety, ensuring our product and security teams work hand in hand … We hope the industry takes away the importance of cross-departmental collaboration.”
Sequel Empowers Seniors to Protect Each Other
“We believe the human eye is the ultimate judge of authenticity, and our members deserve nothing less,” according to Jessica Wayne, Sequel’s VP of Public Relations. Emphasizing humanity only makes Sequel a better judge of character: “We don’t just moderate. We curate,” she said.
Platforms with both AI and human expertise at their disposal also have the best chance at picking up on red flags, including heavily filtered, edited, and/or AI-generated photos. Importantly, it also empowers daters in this vulnerable group to protect themselves by acting as “co-authors of their own community’s safety.”
The app achieves this “by providing transparent, easy-to-use reporting and blocking tools,” the Trust & Safety team explained.
With education and tools, seniors can become “co-authors of their own community’s safety.”
“This puts control back in [users’] hands, allowing them to relax, feel protected, and focus entirely on the excitement of building new relationships, while our Trust & Safety team reviews the suspicious profile and takes the necessary action,” they added.
OurTime, SilverSingles, and Sequel all clearly articulate online dating safety tips and policies, giving users a chance to learn how they can best protect themselves from scams and fake profiles. Sequel encourages users to hunt for red flags, especially within personal messages.
Platforms are often the first line of defense for vulnerable groups, and by teaching users what to look out for, they can help strengthen this defense and even share protective duties with users.
Safety and Self-Confidence Go Hand in Hand
Not being technically inclined may contribute to older Americans’ online vulnerability, but it’s far from the only factor. The period of time following a divorce is often chaotic and confusing. No one really expects it to happen to them, so how could they possibly prepare for the ensuing vulnerability?
Their generation’s strict societal norms can worsen post-divorce fragility. “Divorce is a failure”, “You must have done something wrong”, “You’re dating online? You’re having a midlife crisis”; all unhelpful, but common, refrains in the time following a divorce.
Apps for older daters can emphasize safety and confidence by changing the narrative surrounding divorce and online dating. It’s all about giving post-divorce daters the confidence and know-how to say, “I can trust my own judgment again.”
“[Sequel’s] tagline, Live your Way. Find your Sequel., reflects a generation that has spent decades meeting everyone else’s expectations and is ready to stop,” according to the app. This is an essential point, especially as scammers attempt to lure vulnerable and heartbroken people into their web of lies.
In making a zero-tolerance public stance against fake profiles, Sequel sends a strong message to daters over 50: “You can be safe here” — a powerful sentence for users who may not feel naturally safe or confident on digital dating platforms, especially following heartbreak.
