Well this isn't going to help make online relationships look better...

[squiddie]

Apparently a 15 year old girl ran away to Brazil with her boyfriend that she met online:
https://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/ameri...ss_igoogle_cnn

Now I know a lot of people on here are in healthy, productive relationships that, yes, happened to start online. I feel so bad for you guys and the judgment you get from the people in your lives...but stories like this certainly aren't helping your case.

Fortunately you people here show me that not all online relationships are sketchy and potentially dangerous. And you all seemed to be responsible and adult about meeting in person, not to mention doing it safely.

[paulawriteslove]

Wow, that is crazy. I am speechless. She is so young.

[pytsip]

I think it's much of a double standard, yes there's threats with online dating and you should be cautious with them, but I think people tend to forget that the majority of rape cases are by someone that the victim knows. Even after that, meeting on a blind date can potentially be just as dangerous. Heck, the way that i met my boyfriend could have been dangerous considering that we were both at a party, I went and hung out with him afterwards and didn't know who he was. I think that it's just the hype about internet dating when really, it comes down to parental control. How do these teenagers afford to visit these people, I know that I sure as hell couldn't afford a plane ticket to Brazil when I was 15, with that being said, parents need to be strict with their children no matter who they're dating, whether it's the quarterback for the high school football team or if it's the guy she's been talking to that lives in Hong Kong.

[Andy]

That's quite disturbing...

Unfortunately I think stories like this are always likely to crop up and I think the stigma attached to meeting someone online will never go away. I've certainly been given funny looks by friends when they heard I met Tanja online. I don't expect that to change as I go through life either, and I certainly expect it to be the root of plenty of jokes from our wedding speeches!

Sadly here are people in the world who are gullible and easily-led, and there are those who are only too willing to take advantage of them and they all-too-often lead to scenarios like this. I hope she's ok...

[DropkickDisco]

I really hope that this young girl is okay.

with that being said I really think that people who get molested/raped/whatever from online relationships are the people who don't know what they're doing. not EVERYONE on the internet is a pedophile rapist. not EVERYONE on the internet is looking to hurt you. in fact, most people aren't. but JUST LIKE THE REAL WORLD there are a few bad people looking to hurt you. don't blame the internet, blame your lack of judgement. I understand that she is 15 and doesn't know these things, and I'm not blaming her, but honestly I think this has nothing to do with the internet, it has to do with her lack of judgement.

[LadyMarchHare]

That's nothing new. I think it's more because she's under age that it's why it's shocking. If she was my age, I don't think it would be that big of a deal nor do I think it would make news. Kids do these things, they run away for various reasons and either come back or live on their own, it's rare they get hurt or killed. I've had several young teenage cousins run away and they're both fine, they're just really dumb.

The only shit I get about an online relationship is people think it's desperation. I mean yeah I get the "he could be a rapist" thing but my answer to that is "you can't rape the willing."

[Silviar]

It's unfortunate how an entire group gets shed with a bad light for the few bad apples in the bunch. *sigh*

[amandamayaaa]

thats so sad i hope she's ok!

yeah i agree with everyone.. the whole meeting online thing has such a bad rep, only because all the news talks about is all these bad cases of people meeting online, nothing about all the great romantic stories.. that happen all the time!

when i first told everyone that i met eric online they're like yeah ok.. like thats gunna work (which i honestly believed at first too) i was never one to think i was going to ever meet anyone online, it just wasn't for me

but as soon as i met eric, i knew i was really serious about actually meeting him, even though it went against a lot in my opinion

anyways.. i made sure i met his mom, and my parents met him.. annnd all that good stuff, and i met him in an airport (kinda the only place we could haha) but yeah so it wasn't secluded

just have to be cautious!and i'm so happy mine is one of those awsome happy love stories

[NaNi]

I agree with everybody else. Why yes, there are bad people on the internet. For sure. But those people can also be found in the "real world".

[Caitlin2009]

O_o is she fucking crazy??? she;s only 15 years old and she goes off and meets someone online without a parent, this is why LDR's get a bad rep its stories like these! Arrrg but i do hope she's ok and her parents smack her upside the head when she gets back

[NaNi]

O_o is she fucking crazy??? she;s only 15 years old and she goes off and meets someone online without a parent, this is why LDR's get a bad rep its stories like these! Arrrg but i do hope she's ok and her parents smack her upside the head when she gets back

A friend of mine did the same thing. She met a guy online, hopped on a plane and flew to Japan. Her mom was worried like crazy, but she never came back. She's now married to that guy and has a kid. Luckily for her it all turned out well in the end though.

[Andy]

A friend of mine did the same thing. She met a guy online, hopped on a plane and flew to Japan. Her mom was worried like crazy, but she never came back. She's now married to that guy and has a kid. Luckily for her it all turned out well in the end though.

Wow, that's quite a story itself!

[Caitlin2009]

A friend of mine did the same thing. She met a guy online, hopped on a plane and flew to Japan. Her mom was worried like crazy, but she never came back. She's now married to that guy and has a kid. Luckily for her it all turned out well in the end though.

O_o if my child did that i would hop on the next available plane and bring them back kicking and screaming! no way i would let them stay just like that

[leonina]

I mean yeah I get the "he could be a rapist" thing but my answer to that is "you can't rape the willing."

I swear every time I read your comments I laugh out loud.

[noodle]

I know this just way too well.

My mom saw once a show from Oprah (apart from me lovin her shows this one pissed me off lol) where she showed a girl who she met a guy on the internet and they were talkin online for 3 months, then met and he raped her.

I hate this judgement so much. Just like NaNi said those people are out there everywhere!
I met my ex bf online too first we talked for 2 weeks untill he asked me out. I was first scared of it cause I was thought to not really trust people but my mum was like "omg yes go out with him!! cmon do it!!" and now it's the same basically with my bf just that unfortunately he lives across the ocean and (what should be actually positive is that I've been talkin to him for 2 years now).

The worst thing about it is that you cant even get into a compromise with those people who think negatively about LDRs which start online. One you have the negativity on it you cant get it off.
I tell my parents constantly about friends who have met their bfs online first and then at some point decided to meet in person and all that jazz.
But it doesnt count. Probably mostly cause their bfs live like max. 1hr away from them, not an 8hr plane ride...

It's unfair.