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If you have a question regarding the sessions, the best way to reach me is via email at sgil@neuro-cs.com

Please give me at least 1 business day to respond to your questions.

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Best Dating Apps for People With Disabilities

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Best Dating Apps for People With Disabilities

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The Best Dating Apps to Help People With Disabilities Find Love

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

The art of dating is already tough to master, but factor in the stress of how, when, and where to share your disability? Now it's even more complicated.

It isn't easy to figure out whether or not to disclose your disability in your profile, but the truth is, you shouldn't have to be concerned over that. You should be able to enjoy the process of getting to know new people, having some back-and-forth banter, and assessing whether or not there's potential for sparks to fly. Your disability does not define who you are, nor does it have to have any negative bearing on your love life.

RELATED: Dating as a Gay Man Is Tough, Having Cerebral Palsy Makes It Tougher

Whether you're an amputee, physically disabled from an accident, or dealing with a life-long mental health condition, it's understandable to want a partner who can empathize with you. That's why it's important to take note of this: Anyone can find and is deserving of love, regardless of their disability. You just need to start looking in the right places.

If you're tired of the superficial swipe culture and you're looking for a real connection with someone who can understand your life for all that it is, we've rounded up 8 apps and sites for disabled people that are a great place to start.

8 Dating Apps to Help People With Disabilities Find Their Perfect Match

Glimmer

The tagline of this dating site is "be proud of who you are." Their mission? To create a more transparent and inclusive community for singles. While disclosure of your disability is not mandatory and can be modified at any time, Glimmer does offer the option to add it to your profile.

Geoffrey Anderson was inspired to launch Glimmer after noticing that his brother, someone with cognitive disabilities, wasn't having much success on some of the more mainstream dating apps. Anderson told Buzzfeed that he didn't like the fact that people felt the need to omit their disabilities simply because having one is often stigmatized. Not everyone on Glimmer has a disability, but you can rest assured that those who have joined are clearly there because they're accepting and open-minded to finding love in any form.

Once you've joined Glimmer, you can search members by what you're looking for (friends, partners, other parents of people with disabilities), or by shared interests (music, travel, sports, gaming, etc.). You can also filter out members by their specific disability - post-traumatic stress disorder, quadriplegic, ADD, OCD, autism, or visual impairment.

Disability Matching

Whether you're looking for new friends or to spark up a romantic connection, this dating app is a viable option.

While Disability Matching is free to download, you'll only get a limited number of messages per day. However, you can upgrade to a premium membership for a one-time fee of $12.99 to get unlimited messages and advanced search filters, keep a list of your favorite users, see who has viewed your profile, and add more exciting details to your profile. Upgrading also lets you set your profile match criteria so you can personalize your experience while setting your GPS location to search specifically for users who are nearby. You can even promote your own profile to the top of the results so you get seen by more members.

App Store reviews say it's super simple and straightforward to use, from the time you sign up to the time you start messaging other users.
Check out Disability Matching
Prescription4Love

The founder of this site was inspired to launch it by his late brother, a man with Crohn's disease who struggled with dating as a result.

"I thought if he met someone at a website where everyone had the same condition, there would be nothing to disclose," he explains on the website. Prescription4Love went live in 2006 with 11 conditions, but it has grown significantly since to include 36 conditions, including deafness, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, and even STDs.

Prescription4Love is totally free to use, and without even making a profile, you can do a quick search to see who's online by entering criteria for what gender and age range you're interested in, as well as your zip code. You can also select a specific disorder if you'd like to filter out members that way. The best way, of course, to spark something up is to create an account with a profile picture and some information about you.

Once you've found someone you're interested in, you can add them to your favorites list or email them directly from the search results.
Check out Prescription4Love
Dating4Disabled

It only takes a minute or two to register for this dating site, aimed at helping people with any kind of disability meet like-minded people for relationships and friendships alike.

Dating4Disabled is free to use, and as a non-paying member, you get one free point per month that you can use to read an email from another user. By upgrading to a paid membership, though, you can send and read an unlimited number of messages per month. Upgrading costs $23.90 for one month, or you can pay three months upfront for $49.90, six months upfront for $69.90, or one year upfront for $120.

Dating4Disabled is one of the more expensive dating apps on this list, but that said, there does seem to be some benefits. For one, the site takes safety very seriously, using an advanced filtering system that blocks about 90% of illegitimate membership requests and automatically denies membership to suspicious applicants. All member profiles are scanned for fraudulent information, and public correspondence is monitored. The site also has an abuse report system and allows all users to "blacklist" certain members from contacting them if necessary.

Not to mention, the testimonials page is packed with heartwarming stories of people who found their perfect person on this particular site.
Check out Dating4Disabled
S'More

While this app isn't exactly designed for the disabled, its whole philosophy ensures a less superficial experience. How so?

Well, rather than swiping through pictures, you'll be presented with other information about your potential matches (like their interests, personality traits, education, etc.), to support decisions based on who they are rather than just what they look like. If you dig anything about a person's profile, you can give them a "wink," and after you've given them a certain amount, their profile photo will gradually come into focus. That way, you have enough time to form a connection before making any superficial judgments about whether or not they're a good fit for you.

Completing your profile provides you with picks of the day on the home screen. As a free member, you can chat with up to eight people, and upgrading to a premium membership allows you to chat with up to 12. You'll unlock the option to start a video chat once you've started conversing with someone, but for the first two minutes, the image is blurred. Video calls are limited to five minutes for unpaid members, but can be continued for a longer time for premium members.

Perhaps one of the coolest distinguishing features of S'More is that users who receive more positive scores for their behavior can increase their visibility and position on the app, providing incentive for just being an overall decent person here.

Right now, S'More is only active in New York City, Boston, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas, but there are plans for expansion soon.

Ellie

If you prefer a Tinder-like swiping interface, look no further than Ellie.

"We've designed Ellie to be a uniquely safe space where everyone can feel accepted, and be themselves without being judged," the company says on the App Store. But FYI, this one is only available for the iPhone, and is geared specifically toward people who are looking for a serious relationship.

Creating an account takes just a couple of minutes, and from there, you can refine your search further to make sure your matches meet what you're looking for. In late 2020, Ellie updated the app with some new features, including the ability to see when your match is online, when they are typing, and whether messages have been read.

Dating Handicapped

There are two types of members on this site: those with disabilities, and those who don't have a disability but are open to meeting anyone with one. Either way, once you've completed your profile and uploaded a picture, you can browse other members based on your location or other criteria (such as who's currently active online). You can also filter users by age, location, interests, level of education, occupation, marital status, and specific disability.

You'll need to upgrade to a premium account if you want to send or receive messages, add people to your list of favorites, or use the chat room. However, free users can create a profile, search for singles, and even send and receive "flirts" (a digital wink, so to speak) as part of a trial run of sorts.

"Honestly, I feel more comfortable and able to just be myself," said one user in a review.
Check out Dating Handicapped
Whispers4U

A part of Dating Factory - one of the largest online dating networks in the world - this site claims to have thousands of members across the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and all over Europe.

Part of what sets Whispers4U apart is that it offers live audio and video webcam chatting, as well as instant messenger features. On top of that, the company regularly checks for scammers and removes fraudulent profiles.

You can join the site for free, but upgrading does come with a number of perks. Free trial members can create and update their profile, browse the user base, send and respond to chat requests, send and receive winks, and add members to their "friends" list. Gold members, meanwhile, get the added benefit of sending and replying to an unlimited number of emails, viewing other members' galleries, and using chat without any restrictions. As a VIP member, you also get highlighted in search results and galleries, get featured on members' homepages and in their mailboxes, and get overall priority listing on the site.

Whispers4U claims that its matching software actively promotes members based on the quality of your profile, which means it's definitely worth taking the extra time to flesh out your bio and add more than one photo.

Still not sure if the site is right for you? The success stories from members speak for themselves.
Images from dating apps and websites You Might Also Dig:

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The Best Dating Apps to Help People With Disabilities Find Love

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The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. The art of dating is already tough to master, but factor in the stress of how, when, and where to share your disability?

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Looking for Love?

Whether you're looking for a long-term relationship or a quick booty call, there's a dating app out there for everyone. From the hyper-specific-FarmersOnly, JDate, 3Fun-to the ones we review here, which cast a wider net, what do you need to know to find the love of your life...or just your love for the night? Bars, nightclubs, and other traditional meeting places may be starting to reopen, but how safe are they? Dating sites and apps are the way to go these days, and many even have special video services they've introduced specifically to deal with dating in the time of the coronavirus, as we'll explain later.

Getting Started With Dating Apps

The first thing you need to decide is how committed you are. As in, how much do you want to pay to make your heart go pitter-patter? Some apps, like Plenty of Fish, let you view profiles and send messages for free. Most of the others let you view your potential matches without charging, but they make you pony up and subscribe if you want to actually reach out to them without limits-especially if the interest is one-sided. While the monthly charges for the apps we review here range in price from $10 to more than $40, most offer a discount if you commit to a long-term subscription such as six months or a year. (You're not afraid of commitment, are you?)

Then there are all the add-ons. Options-letting you pay to boost your ranking in search results, letting someone know that you are really, really interested in him or her or them, or undoing a dreaded left-swipe that was supposed to be a right-swipe-will cost you extra. While some apps may advertise themselves as free, all of them will try to get a buck from you in the end. Only Facebook Dating is totally free, and that's only if you don't consider your existing personal Facebook profile data to be currency.

Selling Yourself

When it comes down to actually putting yourself out there and creating a profile, all apps ask for the basics: name, age, location, a photo, a short blurb about yourself, and (usually) if you can stand a person who smokes. Beyond that, it can be a bit of a crapshoot. Some apps, like Tinder, value photos over personality. Others, like eharmony, make you fill out an endless questionnaire before you can even think about browsing for your match. Still others, like Zoosk, ask so little that you're left to wonder what's being used to actually match you with like-minded love-seekers.

If you don't fall into the cis-hetero dating pool, most of the apps reviewed here are inclusive. Even eharmony now finally allows for same-gender couples. However, some are friendlier to the LGBTQ community than others. For example, OkCupid goes beyond forcing users to choose between being a male or female, including options like Hijra, genderfluid, and two-spirit.

Time to Connect

Once you pick that perfect selfie and write paragraphs to sell all your best attributes to your future mate, it's time to start browsing. This is where the big differences between these apps are apparent. For instance, Tinder, with its famous hot-or-not swiping interface, makes it quick and easy to find your next date. Bumble, on the other hand, puts all the power in women's hands; men can't even contact a woman unless she's expressed interest first. Others, like Match and OkCupid, have robust profiles that let you dive deep into a user's personality (or at least the one he or she has decided to present to you), before you decide to go on the pursuit. Hinge lets users create profiles that are a beautiful blend of visuals and text.

Now that you've perused the dating pool and have your eyes on that special someone, it's time to bite the bullet and actually reach out to them. Each app offers different ways of showing your interest. Match will let you Wink at a fellow member for free, and Plenty of Fish doesn't charge for messaging. In most apps, messaging is also typically free when both users like each other. However, free users only get so many likes per day, with Hinge being especially limited. In other instances, you're going to get charged for the reach-out. If you're not ready to express your feelings in words, Bumble lets you send Bumble Coins to prospective matches, for $2 a pop. Zoosk offers the slightly creepy option of giving Coins to other users to express your interest (for an additional fee, of course).

Staying in Touch

As this is 2020, all of these services, even the decades-old Match, offer both iPhone apps and Android apps. Most also have desktop counterparts for when you're at work and want to take a break from your spreadsheet to set up a weekend tryst. Just be aware that the functionality can vary substantially between the app and desktop interfaces. For example, there's no swiping on Tinder's browser version. Facebook Dating and Hinge are only available as mobile apps.

Once you've installed these apps and signed up for the services, get ready for a barrage of notifications and email. Some, like daily match suggestions, are helpful, while others, like alerts that tell you every new "like" you get, can just be annoying. The good thing is you can easily tweak these alerts by drilling down into the settings menus in each of the apps.

Any activity that involves meeting strangers from the internet carries some safety risks. If you find yourself in a toxic situation and need to cut off contact, all of these apps let you block and report users who haven't taken the hint. These services try to vet their profiles and keep unwanted inappropriate material from appearing. Bumble blurs nudes with AI. Tinder lets you secretly alert emergency services if you're on a particularly bad date. There are even third-party solutions. UrSafe is a hands-free, voice-activated personal safety app with features for online daters who are looking to meet up with their matches in-person. Not having to use your hands is especially appealing during a viral pandemic, which brings us to our next section.

Dating While Social Distancing

In case dating wasn't difficult enough, right now our social lives have all been upended by the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. Ideally, online dating should lead to meeting up in real life. However, right now the responsible thing for everyone to do is to stay home, and that's creating quite a dilemma for dating apps. Fairytrail, a dating app for connecting via shared travel destination dreams, has seen a bittersweet increase in use.

The most straightforward virtual dating solution is video chatting, allowing users to at least see each other face to face instead of just through texting. Bumble, eharmony, Match, and Plenty of Fish all offer video chat. Apps with more specific target audiences are also adopting this feature, including the mobile-only Muslim dating app Muzmatch.

Even apps without video chat acknowledge the crisis in their own way, though. Hinge lets users set up a video chat, just on a different app. Tinder lets you match with college classmates or people in other countries for free for a limited time. OkCupid added personality questions about how you're coping with the pandemic. Facebook Dating users can choose to use other Facebook communications apps such as Messenger or the experimental Tuned, an app specifically for quarantined couples.

Which Dating App Should You Use?

Dating is hard work, so we did some of the legwork for you by taking a deep dive into nine of the most popular apps. We weren't popular enough to get into The League, the dating app for celebrities. Everyone's needs and wants are different, so not every app will be a great fit for you. Match and Tinder are both Editors' Choice picks because they excel in their respective lanes, lasting relationships and fast hookups. Other apps have strengths too, and you can learn more by reading our in-depth reviews. If we can help play a part in uniting you with your forever person or your Friday-night fling, we're here to help. Just don't forget to invite us to the wedding. (With a +1.)

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Whether you're looking for a casual hookup, a serious relationship, or a partner for marriage, the place to start is a dating site, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. We've tested all the major competitors so you don't have to waste time you could be spending on dates.

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Unicorn Session 7 Asking Someone on a Date 

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Glossary

Aggressive Challenge

A threatening and hostile challenge that may result in physical harm.

Aggressive Communication

Stating your thoughts, feelings, and ideas without regard for others; communicating in a way that is forceful and confrontational.

Assertive Challenge

A clear, direct, and obvious challenge.

Assertive Communication

Standing up for yourself by stating your thoughts, feelings, and opinions in a way that is clear yet considerate of the feelings of others.

Balance of Power

When power is shared equally by people in a relationship.

Boundaries

The defined limits between what is and is not acceptable; boundaries can be physical and emotional.

Cyber-Safety

Safe and responsible use of the internet and communication technology.

Dating Violence

Controlling, abusive, and aggressive behavior in a romantic relationship, including verbal, physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse.

Emotional abuse

Harming someone mentally and emotionally through insults, put-downs, guilt, and manipulation; using mind games, and/or making someone feel bad about themselves.

Flirting

Playful behavior that is intended to get the attention of another person for fun and amusement.

Grooming

To prepare or train; drawing a victim into a secret relationship for the purpose of abusing them.

Healthy Relationship

A relationship with a balance of power where healthy boundaries are protected. The relationship is positive rational, productive, and supportive.

Passive - Aggressive Communication

Communication that appears to be passive, however the subtle and indirect communication is meant to control others.

Passive Challenge

A subtle challenge that is often not resisted.

Passive Communication

Accepting what others are saying and doing while avoiding stating your own thoughts, feelings, or opinions.

Safety P.L.A.N.

A predetermined plan to minimize risk and maintain safety when away from home; P.L.A.N. stands for:

P-asking Permission

L-to go to a Location

A-to do a specific Activity

N-providing Names and Numbers for adults or peers you'll be with

Self Esteem

Confidence in one's own worth; positive thoughts and feelings about oneself.

Sexting

Sending sexually explicit text message and/or photos.

Sexual Abuse

Unwanted sexual activity when one person threatens, intimidates, and pressures another person; because a person under the age of 18 cannot legally consent to having sex, sex between an adult and a minor is considered sexual abuse.

Sexual Harassment

Any unwanted physical or verbal contact that is sexual in nature intended to take control and power away from another person.

Unhealthy Relationship

A relationship with an imbalance of power that results in one person being controlled and manipulated by the other person; boundaries are not respected resulting in a destructive and negative relationship.

Communication Skills & Styles

Everyone has different communications styles. Communication can be aggressive, assertive, passive-aggressive, or passive. Review definitions for these communications styles in the glossary, and use the activities below to help your teen discover their personal communication style. Discuss how they can develop an assertive communication style to express their needs clearly while showing respect for themselves and others.

When discussing communication skills and styles with your teen, remember that it is important to always keep the lines of communication open. Helping your teen feel comfortable coming to you to talk about important and sometimes difficult issues and to tell you their about their feelings is essential to ensuring his or her safety. Take time to discuss your teen's personal rights, and help them to understand the following points:

Your teen's body belongs to them.

Your teen has the right to say no when it comes to their body.

Past permission or activities do not give permission for or obligate your teen to future activities.

It is not okay for any adult to engage in an inappropriate relationship with a teenager.

Your teen deserves to always be treated with respect.

It's always okay to seek help.

It is important for parents to:

Build a trusting relationship with your teen through open communication.

Spend time together and be a part of your teenager's life.

Be willing to listen. This can start by asking your teenager for input when making family decisions, from something as simple as what to have for dinner or watch on TV to where the family should go on vacation.

Be a role model by talking with your teen about personal safety, rights, and responsibilities.

Timing is everything. Look for those "teachable moments" when you can naturally connect what is happening at that moment with your teenager his or her life. You may be watching a movie or see something at the mall that can initiate a conversation about personal safety.

Stay calm when your teenager divulges sensitive information. Getting upset and angry will close the lines of communication.

Focus on the positive. During conversations, point out your teenager's strengths and build on those to expand his or her repertoire of personal safety skills.

Healthy & Unhealthy Relationships

When talking with your teen about the characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships, remember to always include the concept that relationships should be about equality not control. When there is an imbalance of power in a relationship, it is unhealthy. Unhealthy relationships can lead to your teen being in an unsafe situation. Reinforce the following concepts with your teen:

They always have the right to say no.

They can ask for help from friends, trusted adults, counselors, parents, or siblings.

Because poor self-esteem can make someone more vulnerable to an unhealthy relationship, encourage your teen to focus on positive rather than negative aspects of themselves.

Encourage your teen to stay involved with their friends to prevent being isolated by an unhealthy partner.

Stress to your teen the importance of listening to their inner guiding voice which helps them identify their thoughts, feelings, and needs. Help your teen use assertive communication to state what they want rather than just agreeing with their partner. Remind your teen to be respectful of other's thoughts and ideas, too.

Remind your teen to confide their feelings to someone they trust.

If your teens see abuse, they should SPEAK UP. Be clear and direct about what they saw and why it is wrong. For example, "Tony, it's not OK to insult Rachel. Today at lunch she was really upset because you announced to everyone that she was not very pretty or smart. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and what you did was really unkind."

Make sure that your teen knows that they should not put themselves in harm's way to help themselves or others. If your teen or their peer(s) need help in a dangerous situation, they should seek help from a trusted adult to help.

Encourage your teen to stand up for those who need help and not be a bystander. They should provide help or go get help if they can't provide it themselves.

Explain to your teen that if they're not sure where to go for help, A good place to start is with you or their school counselor are good places to start.

Sexual Harrassment

Harassment is unwanted and unwelcome behavior which provides aggressive pressure or intimidation.

Unwanted and unwelcome touching, grabbing, bumping into to someone or rubbing up against them

Jokes that are about sex

Making sexual remarks, "cat calls or wolf calls", rude or insulting comments that are sexual in nature, or making suggestive gestures

Showing sexually explicit pictures

Unwelcomed discussions or bragging about sexual activities

Threatening or intimidating sexual comments

Spreading sexual rumors

Help your teen to make the connection that the harassment is unwanted and unwelcomed. It is upsetting to the victim. It can cause the victim to feel powerless.

Share these tips with your teen to help them if they are experiencing any form of harassment:

Speak up, be direct, and tell the person who is harassing you or someone else to stop. For example: "Stop making comments about my body!"

Challenge the person who is harassing you. Take control and move the focus from you to the harasser.

Be very clear. Let the harasser know that what he or she is doing is sexual harassment and that if it continues there will be serious consequences.

Make an unofficial complaint. If it doesn't stop TELL someone. If the harassment happens at school, find a trusted adult to tell. This could be a trusted teacher, school counselor, dean, or school administrator. Tell your parents what is happening and that you have told someone at school about the harassment. If the harassment happens somewhere else, tell your parents or another trusted adult.

Make an official complaint. You can contact the resource officer or other law enforcement official and file a formal complaint.

REMEMBER: You have the right to speak up when someone is making you feel uncomfortable. If telling the harasser to stop is not enough, you need to tell someone. Keep telling trusted adults until you are heard helped!

Dating Violence

As your teenager gains more independence there are also increased dangers. Teenagers always think, "It will never happen to me!" However, when it comes to dating violence, the statistics unfortunately say otherwise. That is a startling statistic. Discuss with your teen the importance of looking for warning signs:

Isolating you from your friends and family

Constant checking on your whereabouts, controlling

Using insults and putdowns

Blaming you when he or she treats you badly

The relationship is too serious too fast

Explosive temper, history of fighting

Refuses to let you end the relationship

If you believe your teen is in an abusive dating relationship, visit https://www.thehotline.org/ for free 24/7 call, chat, and text hotline resources.

Sexual Abuse - Grooming

Sadly, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys will become a victim of sexual abuse before their 18th birthday - but by learning the warning signs of unsafe behaviors, children, teens, and adults can stop abuse before it starts.

Grooming tactics are techniques an abuser uses to establish and maintain a relationship. It starts with the abuser finding a victim with a vulnerability. By exploiting that vulnerability the abuser strives to fill a need for the victim and establish a relationship. The abuser will often become a 'lifesaver" filling a need for the victim's family as well. By building trust with the family, the abuser will have more access to the victim. Next, the abuser works to isolate the victim. Control is maintained through secrecy and blame. Control can be also be gained through force, coercion, and fraud.

Teenagers naturally seek more independence. This is an important stage of development. However, seeking independence does not mean your teen is ready to be independent. Your teen will continue to benefit from having open lines of communication with you. Continue to talk you're your teen about how to stand up to potential abusers. Abusers typically test the waters to see how a potential victim not with react. Therefore, it is essential that the victim resists and tells someone at the first signs of an inappropriate relationship. Discuss with your teen what to say or do if someone is attempting to initiate an inappropriate relationship.

Look for opportunities to discuss "What if?" questions and help your teen develop strategies and solutions.

What if an adult you know keeps offering to buy you things, such as an expensive jacket you have been wanting?

What if a coach keeps offering to work with you after practice? When is it okay to stay alone after practice and when is it crossing the line?

What if an adult or older teens threaten you to keep you from telling what has been happening? Who could you go to for help?

If your teen discloses information about abuse, stay calm. Reassure them that you are glad they told you and you will help them.

Reporting abuse is an essential step in helping victims and stopping the abuse. Every state has an abuse hotline that accepts reports 24 hours per day. Every state has an abuse hotline that accepts reports 24 hours per day; call 1-800-4-A-CHILD to be connected with your local reporting hotline. It is your responsibility to report suspected abuse, it is the responsibility of the investigator to investigate to abuse.
Safe and Unsafe Secrets
Because grooming tactics always involve secrets, it is important that your teen understand the difference between a safe secret and an unsafe secret. Talk with your teen about this difference.

A Safe Secret is one that will eventually be told and will make everyone smile-like a surprise party or the gender of a baby-to-be.

An Unsafe Secret is one that makes you feel confused, threatened, unsafe, or scared and is one that you are told not to tell.

Help your teen understand that it is never safe to keep an Unsafe Secret, no matter who asks or tells them to keep a secret.

Keep the lines of communication open with your teen.

Make sure your teen knows that it's okay to come to you with any information.

Make sure your teen knows that they should never keep a secret from you.

When your teen is faced with being asked or told to keep a secret:

Help your teen to process how the secret makes them feel. If it makes them feel confused, threatened, unsafe, or scared, they must tell a trusted adult.

When your teen discloses an Unsafe Secret to you:

Believe what they are saying

Validate their feelings

Remember that teens that feel like they can talk to their parents or caregivers about anything are much less susceptible to being victimized by a sexual predator.

Cyber Safety

Technology changes daily and new sites and apps are launched all the time, so it is vital that parents consistently monitor teens' use of the computer, tablet, smartphone, etc. While it's important to respect your teen's privacy, you have a responsibility as the owner and account holder of those devices to monitor the uses and activity of them. Teens should understand that it is a privilege to use these devices, and that irresponsible or unsafe use can put themselves and others at risk.

Good Cyber Citizenship is important whenever your teen is using a digital device.

What are the rules for the use of Internet devices in your home?

What are your safety settings on your teen's digital devices? At this age, teens often want to explore information about sex, substances, and other taboo topics without the scrutiny of parents. It's important for your teen to seek out factual information safely.

What should your teen do if they find an inappropriate website or see an image that is upsetting?

Do you know who is photographing your teen and where those photos are being posted?

Does your teen understand that once something is posted on the Internet, texted, tweeted, etc. it is permanent...even if it is deleted? Sending or posting unkind or unsafe messages or images can have major consequences.

Does your teen know not to share or post any personal information about themselves - address, email address, phone number - online?

Does your teen ask permission before posting photos to social media? You should have passwords to your teen's social media accounts. Some teens create two accounts - one for private use with their friends, and one more public facing account. Be sure you know what your teen is doing online.

Does your teen understand that posting any personal information about others is inappropriate?

Does your teen understand that communicating with someone they meet online is very dangerous because they never know with whom they are actually communicating?

Does your teen understand that chat rooms are dangerous?

Does your child understand that they should never send unkind messages online or using digital devices, and cyber bullying can have serious consequences?

Safety P.L.A.N.

As your teen gains independence, it's important for them to P.L.A.N. for safety. P.L.A.N. stands for Permission, Location, Activity, Names and Numbers - before your teen goes somewhere, they need to get Permission from a trusted adult to go to a specific Location and do a certain Activity, as well as provide the Names and phone Numbers for the adults or peers they'll be with.

Help your teen complete a Safety P.L.A.N. for an everyday situation such as going to the movies with a friend, a sleepover, or going to the mall.

Reinforce the importance of each step of the Safety P.L.A.N.

Stress why each step helps to keep them safe

Stress that no step should ever be skipped

Help your teen to understand that sometimes situations arise that put them in the position where they might be tempted to change a step in their Safety P.L.A.N.

Stress the importance of sticking with their safety P.L.A.N. or asking permission for a new P.L.A.N.

Model the appropriate way to change their Safety P.L.A.N. by repeating the process beginning with getting Permission.

Discuss with your teen that the use of the Safety P.L.A.N. in not to suggest that you are monitoring their every move or that you do not trust them. It is important for your teen to build their independence and to move through the world making safe choices and decisions. However, as their parent you need to know where they are, whom they are with, and what they are doing. It is for their safety.

Stress to your teen the importance of someone knowing where they are and who they are with if they make a change in the Safety P.L.A.N. for an activity that you have approved. For example: What if your teen needs to change their P.L.A.N., but they aren't able to get ahold of you to ask Permission and then their phone dies? You need to be able to use the Names and Numbers they have provided you with to get in touch and understand where your teen is.

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Skip to content Aggressive Challenge A threatening and hostile challenge that may result in physical harm. Aggressive Communication Stating your thoughts, feelings, and ideas without regard for others; communicating in a way that is forceful and confrontational. Assertive Challenge A clear, direct, and obvious challenge.

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Sexual Assault, Consent and Sexual Harassment: What's The Difference?

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