Grindr Sued For Failing To Keep Kids Off Site, Court Records Show

NEW YORK CITY — A Grindr user is suing the app for failing to restrict his access as a minor and allowing him to meet the Brooklyn gynecologist who allegedly abused him sexually, court records show.

John Doe, as he is named in the complaint, filed suit Monday in Brooklyn's Federal Court against the California-based dating app and Dr. Aaron Weinreb, who was arrested in 2019 on charges he'd had sex with a 14-year-old boy.

The suit does not seek to hold Grindr liable for Weinreb's access to the app, but John Doe's, arguing its easily-circumnavigated age restrictions don't do enough to protect children from predators.

"As a result of its flimsy age verification process and its indiscriminate marketing, Grindr poses risks to both minors and adults,” the suit states.

"[The company] is not immune from responsibility for allowing male children to sign up for “Grindr” and then be sexually assaulted and statutorily raped."

Grindr's press office did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment. Weinreb's attorney Saul Bienenfeld declined to comment.

The problem of underage users on dating apps is not Grindr-specific, according to a Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy report that found concerns with Tinder, Bumble and Grindr.

"Reports of harmed minors and consumers’ private information being shared or sold are deeply troubling,” said Carolyn B. Maloney, committee chairperson and New York representative, when the investigation began.

Doe, who says he is one of two underage boys 48-year-old Weinreb courted on Grindr, argues the app is marketed toward children who can access it simply by lying about their age.

Precautions dating apps such as Grindr could take, but currently does not, are alerting parents when a child creates an account, hiring the services of an age confirmation service, or asking applicants to submit photos of themselves holding their government identification, the suit contends.

"We 'card' people at bars to make sure they are old enough to drink. People are 'carded'
in order to gain access to strip clubs," the suit states. "Why should access to online sex platforms be any different?"

Update: This story was updated 5:15 p.m. Monday to reflect that attorney Saul Bienenfeld declined to comment on the suit.