Maikeru

In 2023, meeting people online and then planning to meet up in person for the first time is happening more often. According to Pew Research Center, things could happen to people meeting up in person online for the first time. There are a few safety tips when people meet in person for the first time. These tips come from the Grindr and Tinder dating apps themselves. It offers to protect users from having a safety meeting in real life. The government of Michigan state also offers safety bits of advice from “Foster Youth in Transition.”

1. Video chat: Verify the person you meet is the same one in the profile.
2. Share “live” location with close family, and friends: Give people who are close to you your location so they know where you are currently. This gives them a way to try to track your location in case something happens.
3. Don’t share too much personal information: You’ll want to choose what are appropriate topics for the first time meeting in person.
4. Go to a public area: If something goes wrong, having people around you can help.
5. Don’t ask for a ride: Avoid a ride on a first or second date.
6. Trust your gut: If something makes you feel uncomfortable, try to leave the hangout politely.
7. Keep your drink with you at all times: People with bad intentions could drug your drinks.

At Penn State Abington’s campus, there are a few classes students can take as defense classes. Kinesiology 56 and 57  teach self-defense and martial arts in case of an emergency. The instructor is Dr. H. Kevin Derr, a black belt at Action Karate Huntington Valley, who suggests if people never take self-defense classes, they may go for “soft spots.” The soft spots would be the eyes, nose, mouth, throat, stomach, and private parts. Size differences (human size), easy to hit in the open wild. You also should check what they wear, glasses, hats, and outerwear, because they could be less effective in making the target step back or hurt.

“Resources for Help, Support, or Advice” from Tinder Safety Policies try to help people protect themselves from danger and help with traumatic events that they shouldn’t experiment with.

1. RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline
   1-800-656-HOPE (4673) | online.rainn.org | www.rainn.org
2. Planned Parenthood
   1-800-230-7526 | www.plannedparenthood.org
3. National Domestic Violence Hotline
   1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 | www.thehotline.org
4. National Human Trafficking Hotline
   1-888-373-7888 or text 233733 | www.humantraffickinghotline.org
5. National Sexual Violence Resource Center
   1-877-739-3895 | www.nsvrc.org
6. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
   1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678) | www.cybertipline.com
7. Cyber Civil Rights Initiative
   1-844-878-2274 | www.cybercivilrights.org
8. VictimConnect – Crime Victim Resource Center
   1-855-4VICTIM (855-484-2846) | www.victimconnect.org
9. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center
   www.ic3.gov
10. LGBT National Help Center
    1-888-843-4564 | www.lgbtnationalhelpcenter.org
11. Trans Lifeline
    1-877-565-8860 (US) or 1-877-330-6366 (CA) | www.translifeline.org