Children are procuring drugs and alcohol and having sex with adults after using dating apps, which have escaped the federal government’s teen social media ban that begins next month.

An Australian Institute of Criminology study found children were facing harm both online and offline after accessing adult platforms, including dating apps, matchmaking services, and online fetish communities.

The research comes just weeks before the government’s teen social media ban takes effect, with under-16s to be banned from social media platforms including Facebook and TikTok from December 10. No dating apps are covered by the ban, as they already bar people under 18 from using their services.

However, the institute had previously found that one in 10 people on dating apps had used the platforms whil

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