The dating website and app Rencontre Ados – often referred to as the "Belgian Tinder" – is teeming with sexual predators, raising fears about the growing dangers of online grooming and abuse facing Belgium's youth.
Created in 2006 by Belgian citizen Thomas Mester, Rencontre Ados markets itself as the "number 1... free dating site for young people from 13 to 25 years old", which encourages people to "express [themselves] as much as possible and in total freedom". It has more than 280,000 users, including 10,000 Belgians.
In a recent video report, a team of France Info journalists signed up to the website posing as a 13-year-old girl called "Emma". Within minutes, they were inundated with sexually explicit messages and pictures sent by adult men, many of whom barely attempted to conceal their age.
One 23-year-old man called Coco asked: "Send [pictures of] your breasts discreetly." "No I can't," Emma replied. "Do it quickly, or your ass," Coco insisted.
In another exchange, a man called Serge asked: "You want me to touch you and more [?]". "But I'm 13 years old," Emma responded. "That doesn't bother me if you like it," Serge said. "How old are you?" Emma asked. "50," came the reply.
'It's a problem everywhere'
Asked by RTBF about the sexually explicit pictures and inappropriate messages, Mester, who still owns the service, replied: "Yes, it is a problem, but [it's a problem] everywhere. Create a Snapchat account; it's much more problematic than with us. Because their whole system is based on sending temporary photos."
Mester added that one major problem is that Rencontre Ados currently only makes enough money for just himself and two volunteers to moderate the site. "The site does not make enough money to pay me, so [having full-time] moderators [is] impossible," he said.
Mester also defended his decision to change the original age range of the site from 11-17 to 13-25, claiming that this was done solely for business reasons.
"This choice was made at the time to increase the number of users and my pocket money at that time. I [increased the age range to] 25 to get the 'young adults' in addition, and therefore increase the number of platform users."
'Like letting wolves into a sheep pen'
According to Stephan Smets, Chief Communications Officer at Child Focus, a Belgian charity, the site's wide age range – although not technically illegal – is highly morally questionable.
"Already, there is a problem at the base," he told RTBF. "Connecting adults with young teenagers is a problem... There is no age verification and anyone can access this platform and make a fake profile. So, it's a bit like letting wolves into a sheep pen... Having a platform that allows this poses ethical and moral problems."
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His words were echoed by Federal Judicial Police Commissioner Yves Goethals. "What I find strange is that they have people between 13 and 25 years of age," he told La Dernière Heure. "For me, there is a responsibility on their part for putting minors and adults in contact."
