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Online dating has become so accessible for so many people. Regardless of your hobbies, interests, age or gender – there’s a dating site out there for you! Over the last year, I’ve looked into various different aspects of dating, including how to date safely with a disability and date ideas for gamers to name a few. And today I want to talk about how we – the younger generation – can help older people with dating online.

Senior Dating

Photo by Renate Vanaga on Unsplash

Online dating is for everyone and older people have just as much of a right to find love online as any of us. Although I’m sure a lot of you will agree that older people and technology don’t ALWAYS go, so sometimes they might need a bit of help.

Although there are definitely some incredibly tech-savvy older people out there!

Getting older doesn’t mean we have less of a need for friendship, companionship and even love. And many older people will find themselves in a position where they feel ready for new relationships in their life or ready to fall in love again. Perhaps after the death of a spouse or a divorce.

Here are some tips for older people who are venturing into the online dating world and also how we, as younger people, can help them on their journey!

Choose your dating site wisely

Sometimes all it takes is finding the right online dating site. As with anyone who’s venturing into online dating, it’s worth trying a few different sites out to see which one gains you the best results. There’s no harm in signing up for a few to see which works best!

Stay safe!

When you start arranging to meet people on your online dating sites, it’s so important to stay safe. For an older person, it very well may have been decades since they last went on a date with someone new. The world has moved on a lot since then.

But safety is still as important as ever. When meeting someone new, make sure you:

  • Meet in a public place
  • Tell someone where you’re going and when you’re going
  • Get a friend or family member to check in on you

There are also instances of online dating fraud, whereby people will ask for money to meet you or tell you a sob story (which is likely fake) to get you to send them money. If anything like this happens, block and report them and definitely don’t agree to meet them.

It is also important to know how to find a reliable and secure platform that can protect its users from fraud, harassment and other risks. To start with, make sure you research the app or website before signing up—read reviews and make sure their privacy policy is robust enough.

By simply Googling terms like “Bumble privacy policy” or “is Ashley Madison safe” you can easily investigate the legitimacy of these apps  which will guarantee your safety throughout your experience. Consider checking that the app offers users an option to verify profiles using phone numbers or any other form of identification; these measures help you stay away from scammers.

Last but not least, keep an eye out for any flagging system within the platform; this feature allows you to report users who violate the rules of etiquette set by the app.

Related read: What You Need To Know About Romance Scams

Suggest an activity as a date

Dating at an older age for the first time is perhaps decades may be an incredibly nerve-wracking thing for a lot of people. Heck, it’s nerve-wracking for people who are regular daters! If you’re about to embark on a first date, suggest an activity instead of a sit down meal or coffee, which might end up feeling like a job interview, especially if you’re worried about what to talk about!

Only do it if you’re ready

If this is your first time in the dating world since a bereavement or a divorce, then the most important thing is that you’re ready. There’s no right or wrong and everyone goes at their own pace. If you go on a date and still don’t feel ready, that’s perfectly okay!

Consider your needs

Your needs won’t be the same now, at an older age, as what they were when you were 20, so it’s important to consider that when starting online dating. Think about your needs and wants when choosing potential dates and what dating sites to use as well.

You really can find love at any age. Age is just a number! Anyone of any age can date and find a new relationship and companion. The phrase “there’s plenty more fish in the sea” exists for a reason. Of course it’s an extremely personal choice but if you’re a senior and aren’t sure about whether you should date again – I say go for it!

Have you started dating again at an older age? Do you have any tips or stories to tell? Let me know!

32 Comments

  1. These are great tips, choosing the right site is so important. So many of them are only really for younger people, can’t quite imagine someone my grandparents’ age finding their soulmate on Tinder x

  2. You’ve included some fab points in this post. I completely agree that you can find someone at any age. We all need some companionship.

  3. What a great topic you choose and what a great you write, I am impress, thanks for sharing this with us. Really you write very well and it is a very good topic.
    Keep it up, Jenny. Wonderful job.

  4. Both my parents started dating again after their divorce about 6 years ago and ai think it’s hard for older people for sure xx

  5. My mother met her boyfriend via online dating. The biggest difference that I noticed with them is that the sugar coating and over the top attempts to impress weren’t there the same. When you look at many profiles of the younger generation, they are carefully picking the ‘perfect’ picture, bragging it up in their bio, etc. (generalization, of course) but the older generation is more blunt in their approach. They know who they are and that they don’t want to change, so they aren’t afraid to share it – recognizing that while it may scare some people off, those aren’t the people they were going to make a relationship work with anyway.

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