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Anyone who has played a few rounds of public lobbies in Among Us can attest tot he every growing population of teenagers using the platform in the form of a dating app, and sometimes it can be a little weird. Among Us is a game where players are meant to lie to deceive other players which may not be the best foundation on which players should start a relationship.

Internet dating is all the rage nowadays, especially when physical dating has been made unsafe in this pandemic-defined era. It's no coincidence that dating apps such as Tinder and Bumble have seen increases in user activity since COVID-19 entered the picture, after all. With parts of the world forced to stay inside their homes for weeks at a time, romance lives on in cyberspace. While there are plenty of apps on the online dating market, some teens that are too young to utilize those platforms are finding alternative methods of finding their soulmate. This pitiful display of young love could become a dangerous game if the crewmate on the other end of the internet turns out to be an Impostor of a more nefarious type.

It's hard to pinpoint where the idea for Among Us dating originated, but a recent trend on TikTok could be the culprit. Various users have posted video montages of themselves flirting with other crewmates, getting their phone number, and then dating IRL for extended periods of time. (Or the unexpected happens where the cute girly crewmate turns out to be another guy.) Whether or not this is where the idea originated, there are plenty of documented cases of children, or players posing as underage users, using Among Us to seek romantic relations. Many players have taken to the internet to share these all-too-frequent encounters, a few of which have been documented on Reddit's Among Us communities below:

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Of course, the Reddit posts above are mild compared to some of the conversations that have been had between Among Us players. Some interactions even end in players sharing their social media handles or phone numbers (which, mind, the entire game lobby can see and share). Some conversations can turn into inappropriate role-playing for the rest of the crew to witness. While Among Us is a social deduction game where players are supposed to get to know one another well enough to tell when someone is lying, it's unlikely that InnerSloth intended for it to be used as a romantic matchmaker.

The main issue with Among Us dating isn't just that other players are annoyed or are made to feel uncomfortable, but it's that there is no way for child players to tell who is on the other end of a conversation. Among Us allows players to have total anonymity. At present, there are no profiles or accounts. Players can change their names to whatever they want. Players can be whoever they want. It's not hard to imagine that the majority of players looking for a relationship on Among Us, of all places, are underage and won't think twice when their advances are reciprocated, or vice versa. Despite being more online than ever, children today see less aware than ever before that the internet is home to sexual predators who can and will use Among Us as a hunting ground for unassuming minors. Among Us may be the worst place to seek love, as there are plenty of opportunities for an adult Impostor to pose as 14-year-olds in bids to steal kids' sensitive information and, potentially, more.

Among Us is available for iOS, Android, and PC.