Badoo

What it is

Badoo is an adult service for meeting and dating people, widely used in many countries. The people using it are there to meet adults. A child's photos, school, and location do not belong in that pool.

Remove the app if you find it. The next question is whether anyone has already made contact, not which settings to toggle.

What to look out for

• A profile with their face and a real first name.
• Chats that moved quickly off the app.
• Location sharing.
• Any mention of meeting up.

Ways to stay safe

These steps are for Badoo. The house rules still apply on every app.

• Remove the app. If a young child uses the device, keep the app-store password yourself so it cannot be quietly reinstalled.
• Do not message anyone on the account, and do not pretend to be your child.
• If an adult has asked for photos, offered money, or tried to meet, contact the police and a child-protection report line. The help page lists them.
• Write down usernames you can see. Do not delete the conversation if police may need to see it, and do not copy or forward sexual images.

In the news

Published reports you can read yourself. A headline is the proof, not a set of instructions, and this page does not repeat graphic detail.

• Dating apps told to stop under-18s after child abuse cases linked to Grindr The i Paper · 2025 This i Paper report names Grindr and Tinder. This app is the same kind of adult dating product. It stays off a child’s device.
• Overhaul algorithms and age checks or face fines, tech firms told BBC News · 2025 Ofcom’s children’s code says sites with pornography or harmful content must use stronger age checks. The i Paper report is the one that names dating apps.

A way to start the conversation

You can say: "This app is built for adults. I am not angry that I found it. I need it off the phone, and I need to know if anyone has asked you for photos, money, or a meeting."

Then stop and listen. If the answer is yes, go to the help page rather than trying to investigate the other person yourself.

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