Online dating is, for most people, a reasonably safe and often rewarding way to meet potential partners. It also carries real risks, and for people of short stature, some of those risks have a specific texture. Fetishising messages, unsolicited curiosity, and occasional outright hostility are more common than they should be.
This guide covers the practical side of staying safe: what to think about when setting up a profile, how to approach early conversations, what to do before you meet someone, and how to handle the specific patterns that little people often encounter on dating platforms.
Profile Setup: What to Share and What to Keep Private
Your profile is public to varying degrees depending on the platform. The information you put into it should reflect what you are comfortable with being seen by anyone, not just the people you would like to match with.
Photos
Use real, recent photos. Misrepresentation rarely leads anywhere useful, and on a platform built for the little-person community, authenticity is a baseline expectation. That said, you have no obligation to use photos that identify your precise location. Be thoughtful about what appears in the background: street signs, recognisable landmarks, or workplace logos can give away more than you intend.
Disclosure of height and condition
On a niche platform like this one, a brief, direct mention of your height or condition in your profile tends to reduce friction later. It filters for matches who are comfortable from the start and removes the anxiety of "when do I tell them?" from early conversations. You do not need to provide a medical history. A sentence is usually enough.
Detailed information about medical conditions, treatments, or challenges is best shared when you have actual trust with a specific person, not broadcast on a profile that anyone can read.
Contact information
Do not put your phone number, email address, workplace, or home neighbourhood in your profile. Share these only after you have established real trust with a specific match, and do it through the platform's messaging system first rather than switching immediately to external channels.
Early Conversations: What Good Looks Like
Most people you talk to online are genuine. A small number are not. The difference usually becomes apparent fairly quickly if you are paying attention.
Green flags: asks about your interests, responds to what you actually say, does not rush the conversation towards meeting or towards physical topics, has a full and consistent profile, and seems like a person with a life rather than someone who has appeared solely to message you.
Flags worth noting: messages that focus immediately and exclusively on your height or physical appearance, unusual urgency about moving off the platform or meeting quickly, inconsistencies in their story, requests for personal contact information very early, and anything that feels like a script rather than a conversation.
You do not need a reason to stop talking to someone. "I do not think we are a good match" is a complete sentence. You do not owe anyone an explanation.
Before meeting in person: a short checklist
- Have a video call first. Seeing someone live, even briefly, confirms they are who they say they are.
- Choose a public venue for the first meeting. Coffee or lunch in a busy place is ideal.
- Tell someone you trust where you are going, who you are meeting, and when you expect to be back.
- Arrange your own transport to and from the meeting. Do not accept a lift for the first meeting.
- Keep your phone charged and accessible.
- Have a simple exit plan if you want to leave early, and be prepared to use it without guilt.
Specific Patterns to Be Aware Of
People of short stature who have used mainstream dating apps frequently mention two particular patterns that are worth knowing about.
Fetishising attention
Some people are attracted to little people in a way that is more about category than connection. This sometimes shows up as immediate, specific focus on height or physical difference in early messages, a sense that you are being approached as an experience rather than a person, or an eagerness that seems disconnected from anything you have actually said about yourself.
How to handle it: block and report. You do not need to explain why, debate the ethics, or accept the framing that this is a compliment. It rarely becomes anything useful and it is not your job to manage.
Curiosity that tips into intrusion
A different pattern: people who are genuinely curious about what it is like to be a little person, but who treat early conversations as an opportunity to ask a lot of personal questions about your medical history, daily life, physical limitations, and so on. This is usually not malicious, but it is still not what you signed up for when you joined a dating platform.
A reasonable response: "I am happy to talk about that when I know you better, but right now I am more interested in getting to know you as a person." This signals clearly without shutting down the conversation entirely, and gives you useful information about how the other person responds.
Platform Safety Features
This platform has a set of safety features designed to make the experience better for this specific community. Profile verification helps confirm that members are who they say they are. Photo moderation prevents the kind of unsolicited content that appears too frequently on general apps. The blocking and reporting system goes to an active moderation team, not an automated filter.
You can read the full detail on the safety features page. If you experience something that you think the moderation team should know about, report it rather than simply blocking. Reports help keep the community better for everyone.
Meeting Someone Safely: A Longer View
The first meeting checklist above covers the immediate practical steps. There is also a broader set of considerations for how early-stage dating works safely.
Trust should build incrementally. The pace at which you share personal information, meet in new locations, or integrate someone into your wider life should reflect how well you actually know them, not how enthusiastic they seem or how much pressure there is to move things forward. Someone who pushes against a reasonable pace is telling you something important about how they will behave later.
Physical accessibility is worth thinking about in advance, particularly for a first meeting. If you have specific needs around venue accessibility, it is entirely reasonable to factor this into where you suggest meeting and to explain why if asked. A good match will accommodate this without difficulty. One who responds poorly is also telling you something useful.
If Something Goes Wrong
Report harassment, threatening messages, or concerning behaviour to the platform immediately. If you receive anything that constitutes a threat or that makes you fear for your safety, report it to the police as well. Screenshots are useful evidence.
Online dating platforms, including this one, do not have perfect visibility into what happens once two people leave the platform and meet. If you have a safety concern that arises after a meeting, contact the relevant emergency services or support organisations, not the dating platform.
If you want to talk through any experience or get support, the Little People of America (USA), Little People UK, and similar organisations have community networks that can provide peer support alongside more formal resources.
Further Reading
You might also find our platform safety features page useful for an overview of what the site does on its end. For general advice on dating as a little person, see what to expect when you are dating a little person for the first time and our piece on the language that matters in dating. If you are comparing platforms, our article on the best dating apps for little people covers the main options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do little people face specific risks on dating apps?
The general risks of online dating apply to everyone. People of short stature may also face some additional patterns: unwanted curiosity or fetishising behaviour, and occasional hostility or mockery. A niche platform such as Midget Singles reduces, though does not eliminate, these risks by attracting people who are specifically looking for this kind of community rather than stumbling across it.
Should I mention my height in my profile?
There is no obligation to disclose anything in your profile. Many people on niche platforms designed for little people find that a brief, matter-of-fact mention reduces awkward conversations later and helps filter for matches who are comfortable from the start. Detailed disclosure of medical conditions is best saved for when you have built some trust with a specific person.
What should I check before meeting someone in person?
Verify the person is who they say they are with a video call before meeting. Choose a public venue for a first meeting. Tell a trusted friend where you are going and when you expect to be back. Keep your own transport arrangements for the first meeting. Trust your instincts: if something feels off at any stage, it is fine to cancel or leave.
How do I deal with offensive or fetishising messages?
Block and report without engaging. On any reputable platform, the report function goes to a moderation team. You do not owe anyone an explanation. Detailed responses to offensive messages rarely improve the situation and take up energy better spent elsewhere.
Is it safe to share my location on dating profiles?
Sharing a general area (town or city) is fine for most people. Sharing your street, workplace, or specific neighbourhood is not advisable until you are confident in a match. If a platform gives you proximity-based matching, consider setting it to show a range rather than an exact distance, as exact distances can be used to triangulate location.