Dating Apps and Cyber Harassment: A Review Article

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology Vol.7 Issue.4

Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.25.4.11

REVIEW ARTICLE /  DERLEME YAZISI

Dating Apps and Cyber Harassment: A Review Article

Flört Uygulamaları ve Siber Taciz: Bir Derleme Makalesi

Büşra Tulumbacı¹

Abstract:

The internet and technological advancements have become an integral part of modern life, transforming various aspects of individuals’ daily routines and social interactions. Digitalization provides significant conveniences in fields such as education, art, politics, and entertainment, offering new opportunities for accessing information and facilitating communication. This transformation is also evident in human relationships, reshaping the ways in which romantic connections are formed. Today, social media platforms and dating applications offer alternative spaces for meeting new people, particularly for individuals with busy work schedules, limited social circles, or insufficient time to engage in traditional forms of dating. Online dating applications provide users with several advantages, including saving time, enabling communication independent of physical location, and offering access to a broad pool of potential partners. In this sense, they introduce a new dimension to modern romantic practices and facilitate the transition of flirtation experiences into digital environments. However, alongside these conveniences, such platforms also carry certain risks, most notably cyber harassment. Factors such as anonymity, lack of regulation, and the ambiguous boundaries of digital spaces may lead to negative experiences, particularly for women, regarding safety and privacy. This article aims to examine the effects of dating applications on their users, exploring both the opportunities they provide and the risks they entail, and to evaluate how these platforms transform individuals’ romantic relationship-building habits.

Keywords: Romantic relationship, Dating apps, Cyber harassment.

¹MSc., Humanitarian Relief Association, Ankara, Türkiye, E-mail: [email protected], Orcid Id: 0000-0002-4890-6755

Address of Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Büşra Tulumbacı, Humanitarian Relief Association, Ankara, E-mail: [email protected], Birlik Neighborhood, 411th Street, No:10/2, Çankaya/Ankara, Türkiye

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 17.03.2025, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 09.12.2025, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 28.06.2025, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 15.12.2025

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Tulumbacı, B. (2025). Dating Apps and Cyber Harassment: A Review Article. Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 7(4), 423-429.

© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/