It's easy for people to get lonely after being cooped up all day because of the current situation. As such, apps and games that allow people to interact have seen a rise in popularity. This includes games like Among Us, which has become one of the most popular games after two years of obscurity. Among Us has found dozens of ways to entertain gamers and non-gamers alike, whether it's through gameplay, Twitch streams, videos, or even memes.
But some Among Us players, namely underaged ones, are using the game to shop around for potential significant others. Participants are entering public lobbies and asking others for their gender or marital status. They're also engaging in flirtatious conversations, including roleplay, with no regard for the rest of the lobby. Some even put their phone numbers and social media handles in the chat - something the whole lobby can access.
It's unclear where the weird idea came from, but it seems to have originated with TikTok, which isn't too surprising considering TikTok's controversial reputation. Apparently, there's a trend happening on the app that sees various users uploading montages of themselves meeting people in Among Us, flirting with them, getting their number, and then dating for a while afterward. They're also some that see the "cute girl" getting hit on turning out to be one of the guys.
The latter videos inadvertently highlight the problem with people actually trying this out in-game: they have no idea who they're talking to. Among Us doesn't have profiles or accounts yet, so the individuals using its public lobbies are completely anonymous, with no information regarding their age or anything else of the sort. In other words, underage players could potentially be talking to predators or otherwise sharing sensitive information with people they shouldn't.
Fortunately, Among Us developer InnerSloth provided an Among Us roadmap not too long ago, and through it, the developer claimed that the game would be getting player accounts soon. When it does, players might be able to report behavior like this when it comes up and get the participating accounts banned.