What no one tells parents about the dating app MeetMe

By Leah Nieman | February 24, 2017 |

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What no one tells parents about the dating app MeetMe

Today we’re getting the inside scoop on MeetMe as we continue our dating apps for parents of teens series. We’re halfway through the series already! If you missed the beginning of the series, you can view all of it on the dating apps page.

MeetMe

Age: 18 & Up (13-17 years with parental consent)
In-App Purchases: Yes
Contains Ads: Yes

Over 100 million people use MeetMe. It’s been around since 2005. At that time it was called MyYearBook. In 2012 it underwent a name change and is now MeetMe. The app focuses on meeting people. But, dating is certainly a large part of why users sign up for the app. Registering an account does require users to enter a phone number to verify their account. One thing that makes MeetMe a bit different from some of the other dating apps listed here is it offers a number of games users can play. Users play these games to earn “Lunch Money,” a virtual currency they can use to take advantage of other features at MeetMe.

What Teens Say

MeetMe has been around for a while. It’s also not explicitly labeled a “dating app.” Teens who might be somewhat shy about joining a dating app often use apps like MeetMe as a stepping stone app.

What Parents Need to Know

MeetMe is COPPA compliant. This gives you some leg to stand on as a parent should you ever find out your child under 13 has set up an account. It also means the app developers have put measures in place to prevent children under the age of 13 from becoming members and using their site in the first place. Accounts of underage kids will be closed and their personal information removed from the site.

Why is this important? Because it means if you are the parent of a child under the age of 13 who has created an account using a false age, you can notify the Safety Team at support@MeetMe.com. They say they “will immediately cancel your child’s account and nullify personal information displaying on the site and collected from them.”

Like the other dating apps on this list, MeetMe is location-based. Profiles shown are selected based on the closest matches to their location. Registration requires a first and last name, age, and ZIP code. Or, an account can be registered using a Facebook account. It opens the door for chatting with anyone nearby. This is a big safety issue for young teens. Be sure your teens have really good safety guidelines in place when it comes to meeting anyone online.