Online Dating and Social Apps: Staying Safe as an Adult with Disability
More Australians than ever are using apps and online platforms to make new friends and find romantic partners. For adults with disability, these platforms offer exciting opportunities — but also real risks that require specific skills to navigate safely.
The Opportunity and the Risk
Online connection can be transformative for adults with disability. Dating and friendship apps remove some of the sensory and social pressures of in-person interaction, allow for more time to process and respond, and expand the pool of potential connections beyond a person’s immediate environment.
However, adults with Autism and intellectual disability can be disproportionately targeted by scammers, groomers, and manipulative individuals online. Without the skills to identify these risks, the digital world can be a dangerous place.
Red Flags to Know
Our Date-Ability program teaches participants to recognise warning signs in online interactions, including:
- People who move very quickly to personal or sexual conversations
- Requests for money, gift cards, or financial information
- Profiles that seem too good to be true
- Pressure to meet in person before building trust
- Messages that make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe
- People who ask you to keep the connection secret
Building Digital Confidence Through Education
Rather than discouraging online connection altogether, FS Academy takes a skills-based approach. We help participants understand how legitimate online relationships develop, what healthy digital communication looks like, and how to set and enforce their own boundaries in digital spaces.
Cliq Connection: Dating Designed for Disability
FS Academy is connected to Cliq Connection — a friendship and dating app designed specifically for Australians with disability. Cliq Connection provides a safer, purpose-built environment for adults to make connections in a community that understands and supports their needs.
Talk to Us
If you are a support coordinator, parent, or carer who is concerned about a participant or family member’s online safety, our team is happy to discuss how our programs can help. Visit fsacademy.com.au to learn more or enquire about upcoming programs.