Amid the excitement of incorporating AI into
online dating, romance seekers should still be cautious of dating
scams and catfishing
TEMPE,
Ariz. and PRAGUE,
April 23,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A new global survey from Norton,
a consumer Cyber Safety brand of Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN), has shed light
on a new way people are looking to incorporate AI into their lives
-- online dating. Two thirds (64%) of current online daters are
interested in using AI as their dating coach. This finding is part
of a broader exploration in the 2024 Norton Cyber Safety Insights
Report – Special Release: Online Dating, which delves into online
behaviors when it comes to meeting and exchanging information with
prospective partners and romantic interests.
We found that people looking for love invest a significant
amount of time and money on online dating. In fact, Norton data
shows the average online dater currently spends six hours a week
and $300 throughout their lifetime on
dating apps and services. Given this investment, people are turning
to AI as a convenient tool to guide them through online dating to
help increase their chances of finding a match. Of those who are
currently using an online dating app or service, 71% of people are
interested in using AI to write pick up lines and conversation
starters, 70% for dating app profile development and 64% for photo
enhancement.
However, while there's excitement around the possibility of
using AI to improve the online dating experience, people need to be
aware to how this technology can also lead to the potential threat
of romance scams, especially as Norton telemetry found online
dating scams increased by 72% since 2023. Norton's data shows that
nearly a third of Americans (27%) who have used a dating app say
they have been targeted by a dating scam, with almost half (42%) of
this 27% falling victim. Additionally, nearly a third (30%) of
Americans who have used a dating app said they had been catfished
by someone.
"Online dating is notoriously difficult to navigate and using AI
as a dating coach seems innocuous when you're on the receiving end
of a bad pickup line or trying to draft a thoughtful breakup text.
However, AI technology can also make online dating riskier and more
complicated when it's utilized in more nefarious ways," said Leyla
Bilge, Director of Scam Research Labs for Norton. "Romance scams
aren't new, but AI is changing the game and making these types of
scams more common and much harder to spot. People need to stay
vigilant for signs of romance scams such as individuals who avoid
video or phone calls, have very few images on their dating profiles
or attempt to progress the relationship quickly."
The report also uncovered:
- Nearly half (45%) of men prefer to meet a potential partner
online. While only a fifth (19%) of women prefer to meet a
potential partner online. This could likely be attributed to a lack
of perceived safety regarding the people they interact with on the
apps.
- Surprisingly, online daters ranked Instagram (61%) and Bumble
(52%) as the perceived safest dating apps.
- Raya is perceived as the least safe, with only 23% of people
agreeing it is safe.
- Over half (54%) of Americans have used an online dating app
while traveling or on vacation.
With the increased popularity of AI in online dating and rising
scams targeting online daters, there is a critical need for
education and awareness around Cyber Safety. Norton helps people
leverage AI and digital safety tools to navigate the online dating
world safely with products like Norton Genie, a free AI-powered
scam detection app. Norton Genie can review suspicious texts,
emails or web links, such as those that direct people to fake
dating sites or website links from prospective partners, and
confirm if it's malicious.
For access to full results of the 2024 Norton Cyber Safety
Insights Report: Special Release: Online Dating, please visit
https://newsroom.gendigital.com/norton-cyber-safety-report-2024
About the 2024 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report: Special
Release – Online Dating
The study was conducted online
within the United States by Dynata
on behalf of Gen from March 6th to March
22nd, 2024 among 1,003 adults ages 18 and older, including
171 current online daters and 444 adults who have used a dating
app. Data are weighted where necessary by age, gender, and region,
to be nationally representative.
About Norton
Norton is a leader in Cyber Safety, and part of Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN),
a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom with a
family of trusted consumer brands. Norton empowers millions of
individuals and families with award-winning protection for their
devices, online privacy, and identity. Norton products and services
are certified by independent testing organizations including
AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs. Norton is a founding member
of the Coalition Against Stalkerware. Learn more at
www.norton.com.
Malea
Lamb-Hall
|
Courtney
Rowles
|
Gen
|
Edelman for
Gen
|
Press@GenDigital.com
|
Courtney.Rowles@Edelman.com
|
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SOURCE Gen Digital Inc.