April 2025 / Reading Time: 6 minutes
STUDY D: Swipe wrong: How sex offenders target single parents on dating apps to exploit their children
Introduction
This study is the first to examine how frequently men with sexual feelings towards children, or those who sexually abuse children, use online dating platforms compared to other men. A survey of nearly 5,000 men across Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom highlights the potential risk posed by child sex offenders who may target parents using these platforms to gain access to their children.
These findings contribute to a growing body of evidence about the misuse of dating platforms by offenders to exploit single parents. Recent research by the Australian Institute of Criminology underscores the heightened risk for single parents, particularly mothers, who use dating apps (Teunissen et al., 2024). Their survey of Australian dating app users found more than 12% of respondents received requests to facilitate child sexual exploitation and abuse, most often related to the respondent’s own child. Similarly, news reports, including of a Scottish lorry driver who manipulated women via dating apps to gain access to their children in order to sexually abuse them, illustrate the tangible dangers these platforms can pose (Currie, 2024).
This emerging issue signals an urgent need for platform accountability and the implementation of safeguarding measures to protect single parents and, by extension, their children.
Methodology
This study examined how frequently men use online dating platforms and whether their usage patterns relate to sexual feelings toward children or prior offending against children. The research is based on a survey of 4,918 men from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Participants were categorised into three groups:
- No sexual feelings towards or offences committed against children (77.5%)
- Sexual feelings only toward children (11.5%)
- Committed sexual offences against children (11.0%)
Participants answered questions about their online dating habits, use of privacy tools, financial transactions, and engagement in other online activities. The study aimed to identify behavioural patterns that differentiate these groups and assess the risk factors associated with dating app use among offenders.
Associations were reported as cumulative odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The cumulative OR measures the likelihood of being at or above a certain category versus below it in an ordered outcome (i.e., online dating frequency), across different groups. The 95% CI represents the range within which the true OR is expected to fall 95% of the time if the study were repeated. An association is considered statistically significant if the CI does not include 1.0; if 1.0 falls within the interval, there is no statistical evidence of a significant difference between groups.
This confidence interval range is shown by the error bars on figures 2, 3 4, 5 and 6.
Research findings
Use of online dating platforms
Men who used online dating sites more often were 2.48 times more likely to report having sexual feelings towards children, and 3.84 times more likely to have sexually offended against children, compared to men who have no sexual feelings or have not offended against children.
- Two-thirds (65.8%) of men who had sexually offended against children, and more than half (53.9%) of those with sexual interests only, had ever used an online dating platform.
- By comparison, online dating apps had only ever been used by less than one-third (30.6%) of men who have no sexual feelings or had not offended against children.
- 22.1% of men who had committed sexual offences against children used dating apps daily, compared to 14.5% of men with sexual feelings only and 8.1% of other men.
Figure 1. Proportion (%) of men by online dating frequency
More frequent use of dating apps among men who had committed sexual offences against children was associated with a cumulative increase in the likelihood that they also had access to children.
- Offenders were 2.95 times more likely to live with a child.
- Offenders were 4.18 times more likely to work in child-related professions.
- Unlike non-offenders, who used dating apps less frequently if they were married or had strong social support, offenders showed the opposite trend — greater use of dating apps if they were married or had social support networks.
Figure 2. Odds of online dating frequency by demographic factors
Figure 3. Odds of online dating frequency by social support
Use of online privacy tools and financial transactions
Privacy and anonymity tools were commonly used by men who had committed sexual offences against children.
- Offenders who used The Onion Router (TOR) (the Dark Web router used to access encrypted hidden webpages) were 6.14 times more likely to use dating apps frequently.
- Offenders who owned cryptocurrency were 4.31 times more likely to use dating apps frequently.
Figure 4. Odds of online dating frequency by use of privacy tools
Use of pornography and online sexual services
Consumption of pornography and engagement with online sexual services were linked to higher dating app use.
- Frequent use of pornography was linked to increased dating app use across all groups, with offenders having the strongest link (2.04 times greater odds).
- Men who were approached online by adults selling sexual services (adults) or children exchanging sexual abuse for money or other material gains were significantly more likely to use dating apps frequently.
- Offenders who were approached by a child exchanging their sexual abuse for money or other material gains were 4.54 times more likely to use dating apps frequently.
Figure 5. Odds of online dating frequency by pornography use frequency and ever being approached by a person selling sexual services online [1]
The odds of greater online dating frequency were generally higher for men who had a friend who engaged in Child Sexual Exploitation Material (CSEM).
- Among men without sexual attraction to or offending against children, each increase in online dating frequency was associated with twice the odds of having a friend who views CSEM.
- Among men who sexually offend against children, having a friend involved in CSEM was associated with a three to five times higher odds of greater online dating frequency.
Figure 6. Odds of online dating frequency by friend engagement in CSEM
Conclusion and recommendations
This research shows that men with a sexual interest in children, or those who sexually abuse children, are not only more likely to use dating apps than other men, but they also use them more often. Offenders may appear trustworthy, as they are more likely to have a child in their house, work with children, and have a higher education level. However, they are also much more likely to know other offenders, use online privacy tools and cryptocurrency to hide their actions, and engage more frequently with pornography and in online environments where adults and children offer sexual services.
This study highlights that child sex offenders and men with a sexual interest in children are disproportionately active on dating sites, signalling the urgent need for two key recommendations:
Recommendation 1. Improve safeguarding measures on dating platforms: Platforms should implement more substantial user verification processes, such as mandatory ID checks, and develop tools to detect predatory behaviours, such as grooming language or suspicious messaging patterns.
Recommendation 2. Conduct targeted user education campaigns: Dating platforms and policymakers should raise single parents’ awareness of these risks by providing clear guidance on identifying red flags and protecting their families.
Recommendation 3. Improve platform accountability: Dating application platforms should transparently report instances breaking community safety guidelines and further accountability mechanisms such as regulation should be explored.
By prioritising platform accountability, improving user protections, and educating users, we can reduce the risk of single parents being targeted by child sex offenders.
Limitations
This study has several limitations. Participants were recruited through an online survey panel company, which may affect the generalisability of the findings.
Additionally, because the study relies on self-reported data, there is a potential for social desirability bias due to the sensitive nature of the questions. Given the variability in the age of consent across jurisdictions and offence categories, the study defines a child as anyone under 18 when measuring online offending, which may have classified some legal sexual activities as illegal. Nonetheless, survey findings on the prevalence of sexual feelings and behaviours towards children in this study are consistent with those of other studies.
More information
Suggested citation: Salter, M., Tyson, D., Woodlock, D. (2025). Swipe wrong: How sex offenders target single parents on dating apps to exploit their children. In: Searchlight 2025 – Childlight's Flagship Report. Edinburgh: Childlight – Global Child Safety Institute
Researchers: Professor Michael Salter, Dr Tyson Whitten, Dr Delanie Woodlock, Mr Matt Tyler, Ms Georgia Naldrett, Professor Jan Breckenridge, Professor Justine Nolan, Dr Noam Peleg
Study partners: Jesuit Social Services
Registered study protocol: OSF Registries | The nature of online offending against children: Population-based data from Australia, UK and the USA
Ethics approval: University of New South Wales (HC220317)
Advisory committee members: Ashley Katz (Director, Child Protection International Partnerships, National Office for Child Safety, Attorney-General’s Department), Detective Superintendent Denzil Clark (Operations Coordinator, Queensland Police Service), Mark Dickson (Executive Manager, Financial Crime, Westpac Group), Dr Sarah Napier (Research Manager, OSEC Research Program, Australian Institute of Criminology), Carol Ronken (Director of Research, Bravehearts), Danielle Kelly (Head of Capacity and Prevention, ICMEC Australia)
Funding acknowledgement: The research leading to these results has received funding from Westpac as part of the Safer Families, Safer Communities Program. The work of the East Asia and Pacific Hub of Childlight at the University of New South Wales is supported by a collaboration agreement with the University of Edinburgh, under the core grant provided to Childlight – Global Child Safety Institute by the Human Dignity Foundation (grant agreement number [INT21-01]).
[1] - Our survey asked about children “selling sexual services” to aid participant understanding. However, Childlight views the purchase of sexual services from a child as sexual exploitation in all circumstances.