What No One Tells Parents About the Dating App Taffy
WHAT NO ONE TELLS PARENTS ABOUT THE DATING APP Taffy
Taffy is a dating app which attempts to address the focus on appearance that early dating apps, like Tinder, created with the “swipe” technology. With Taffy, users see a blurry profile. They see a catchy phrase and some basic profile information.
A person’s profile image is revealed slowly as users exchange messages. The more you chat with a person, the more clearly you see their profile. It’s Taffy’s way of creating a dating app which keeps the focus on personality and not just a user’s physical features.
Taffy
Age: 18+
In-App Purchases: No
Contains Ads: Yes
The terms for using Taffy are ages 18 and up. However, I want to note both the iOS and Android stores have the app rated for ages 17 and up. The rating of 17+ comes from the iOS and Google Play stores. It’s somewhat confusing for teens who are 17. They download the app and then realize Taffy’s Terms of Service don’t allow them to use the app.
The older version of Taffy required you to create an account with Taffy using your Facebook account. And, you were required to sign into Taffy using your Facebook account. Using Facebook to create your account on Taffy means that Taffy gathers information from your Facebook profile, including Facebook friends you might have in common with other Taffy users.
Taffy has now added an option to create an account using your email.
As with most dating apps, Taffy is location-based. A common complaint in reviews is a lack of other users in a given location using Taffy.
Taffy is a dating app, but it’s post-driven and not profile-driven. What does that mean? Well, most dating apps are profile-driven. You create an account and search for other user profiles that you feel are a match or connection for you. With Taffy, users can create posts in a variety of categories.
So, a user on Taffy can create a post in the dating category. But they can also create a post in the “Friends” or “Advice” category if they are looking for a friend to hang out with or are looking for advice on a situation. This gives more opportunities for connection on Taffy.
What Teens Say
Taffy’s rating in the app store of 17+ gives teens the impression Taffy is a dating app for teens. It’s not and Taffy has clearly stated it’s not for users under 18 years old. But unless your teen reads Taffy’s terms of service, they won’t know this initially.
Taffy is also appealing to teens who are looking for a dating app that isn’t all about looks.
What Parents Need to Know
Taffy isn’t a dating app for teens. The terms clearly state the app is for users 18+. Be sure your teen understands they need to read the terms of service for the apps they download. The ratings given for apps in the Apple and Google Play stores are guidelines by Apple and Google. They are suggestions like ratings for movies and music.
Be sure your young adults understand why it’s not a good idea to use Facebook or other social media apps for signing into other accounts like Taffy. It increases their risk of a data breech. And, it’s Taffy using Facebook to log in, not the individual. Taffy then gathers information from your Facebook profile to manage your account at Taffy.
Taffy is available for both iOS and Android devices.
SEE THE ENTIRE DATING APP SERIES
This is such a useless article. The title is alarmist and misleading. The main body is a very rudimentary muddling through what a dating app does, then you focus on the fact that users can download the app from the App Store at 17, but the terms of service require 18? That’s it.
You suggest because another company’s (Apple or Google) policy of allowing 17 year olds to download the app means the will instinctively think it’s for ‘teens’ but omit the fact that this 1) has nothing to do with the app itself and 2) the 17 year olds would be denied service by the app if they stated their real age. So they either lie, or they can’t see the app beyond the log in page.
If they lie, I think it’s clear to them it’s not a teen app.
Hi Lucy,
Wow! Your harsh comment and defensiveness of my article, which is fact base, leads me to believe maybe you have some affiliation with Taffy? I’m asking because you tossed your comment while hiding your identity.
Let me address your concerns going from the top of your comments to the bottom.
#1 “my useless article”
I actually get emails and messages from parents on a weekly basis asking about dating apps. So, while this article may seem useless to you, I assure you it’s not useless to my readers. I do find it interesting that you read a useless article. But maybe you have more time in your day than I do???
#2 ” The title is alarmist and misleading”
I have an entire dating app series on my website. Every single dating app I’ve review has the same basic title. I personally wrote this title not to be an alarmist but because I’m speaking for myself and every single parent who contacts me. I’ve tested EVERY SINGLE dating app I review. I’m a parent whose young adults kids used dating apps. I dove in and learned HOW they could use them safely. Why? Because it’s how our kids are dating. And it’s a shame the majority of dating app developers aren’t providing any safety information. Nor, standing by all the protective verbiage they state in their terms of agreement. Both young adults and parents should know how any app works before they download and use it. That’s not being misleading and alarmist…that’s being educated and smart.
You are actually quite off base. Any amount of research will tell you it’s common for people to download apps without reading the fine print. The terms of service are written in such a way that most adults can’t understand it.
I actually included a great deal of detail about how the app works. It’s hardly rudimentary. The article is written to give people an idea of how the app works so they can understand it and decide if it’s the style of app based dating that would work for them.
#3 “The main body is a very rudimentary muddling through what a dating app does”
I actually wrote a good deal about how Taffy works. Most dating apps are pretty limited in their features. My goal is to explain an app and be concise and to the point. I don’t want to waste my readers time.
#4 “then you focus on the fact that users can download the app from the App Store at 17, but the terms of service require 18”
Yep! Guilty as charge. I do! Because very few people read the TOS of any app. So many teens aren’t lying. They legitimately don’t know. I’d encourage you to refer to the research I linked above and do some digging yourself to see just how many people don’t read the TOS before downloading an app.
Taffy has no information…none on their website for parents who might need help getting an underage account closed. They don’t have any sort of guide available which addresses how to safely date online or a quick help link for users who need to report someone.
#5 The whole 2nd paragraph
Are you suggesting the rating for the app has nothing to do with the content of the app? Because I can assure you it does. App providers are able to put systems in place which would limit underage users from downloading and using their app. It might not prevent every single underage user, but it would prevent many if not most. It’s irresponsible not to do so. Adults using dating apps don’t want to worry about underage users on dating apps they are using. Honestly, there is no excuse for NOT preventing teens and adults from using the same dating apps. It puts them at risk. It’s lazy and irresponsible on the developers part. And at a minimum a large note can be added to the app description text in the Apple and Google store that says MUST BE 18 to download. It’s not hard or complicated.
Thank you fir the information. It was helpful to n mg r and I now understand why you shouldn’t let apps to use your Facebook as a login method.
Thanks for stopping by. And, I’m so glad you found this helpful. Yes, using Facebook as a login method is never a good idea. It’s tempting because it is quick and easy. But, you always end up handing over your data in the process.