Grindr released a written statement on Thursday saying it is “focused on preventing any misuse” of its platform. Jack Turban, a fellow in child and adolescent psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine Grindr is by far the most popular dating app among teens, the research shows. More than half of sexually active gay and bisexual boys between the ages of 14 and 17 find sexual partners on Grindr and other similar apps, according to a 2018 study by Northwestern University researchers. He couldn’t be reached for comment.īut for sexual predators, Grindr provides a space to find many real underage boys.
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He pleaded not guilty, and a jury trial is scheduled for October. He is facing charges in Fitchburg District Court for allegedly attempting to meet a 15-year-old boy on Grindr, who turned out to be a decoy. They pose as underage boys and then film their interactions with men who come to meet them.Ī Northborough man appears to have fallen into this trap last year. The app also has become a rich hunting ground for law enforcement and self-described activists modeled after the former NBC program, “To Catch a Predator.” Groups across the country are looking to shame adult men seeking sex with children and, in some cases, turning them over to the police. And in 2017, a Colorado man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for luring underage boys he met on Grindr into sexual servitude. In 2019, a former Newburyport City Council president was sentenced to 2 ½ years in state prison after pleading guilty to raping a 15-year-old he met on Grindr.
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The officer pleaded not guilty, and the next hearing is scheduled for August. Since 2015, more than 100 men across the United States - including police officers, priests and teachers - have faced charges related to sexually assaulting minors or attempting sexual activity with youth they met on Grindr, according to a GBH News search of public records.Īmong them, a Lawrence police officer is currently facing charges in Essex County Superior Court for allegedly raping a 13-year-old he met on the app in 2018. “Grindr is also at fault for knowing that this is happening and not doing anything about it.” “It creates an easy place for sexual predators to look for these kids,” said Jack Turban, a fellow in child and adolescent psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine. But an investigation by the the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting finds that too often the adult men they meet are dangerous and the encounters can lead to sexual exploitation, assault and trafficking. Some like Chavez are looking to find sex buyers to survive. Many LGBTQ teens are seeking connection in a world that provides few safe spaces, researchers say. Investigators said they have linked multiple robberies to a specific Grindr profile, but declined to elaborate at Wednesday’s news conference, citing the ongoing investigation.The company touts its mobile platform as “The World’s Largest Social Networking App for Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer People” and says its users have to be 18 years old and older.īut the app is teeming with underage gay, bisexual and questioning boys, according to researchers, child exploitation specialists and users like Chavez who say they can easily lie about their age to gain access to the service. Police believe one person is responsible for most of the robberies in Zone 1 and said additional suspects are likely involved in the Zone 3 heists. The victims are typically lured to remote locations after their dates and then robbed.
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Most of the incidents have taken place in northwest Atlanta, but some have occurred in Zone 3 in the city’s southeastern quadrant, authorities said. The vehicle was later recovered, but investigators are still trying to figure out who is responsible for the string of robberies. The suspect then drove off in the victim’s car, police said. Shortly after they arrived, however, his date pulled out a gun and told him: “Give me the car and everything you got.”
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Late last month, one man said he was carjacked by someone he met on the app after picking up the suspect and driving him to an area off Hightower Road.