First dates are scary. Will there be chemistry? Will you get so nervous that you forget how to string a sentence together? Will they fancy? The variables, and the worries, are endless - and inevitable - and this can especially be the case when meeting someone you met via a dating app.

What shouldn't be inevitable though, is that you ever feel unsafe on a first meeting with someone. Butterflies, yes - uneasy nervousness, no.

Up until now, you'll have had to put your own safety measures in place: from setting up a code word with a friend to tracking down a member of staff at the venue you're at to try and help you - some even have a system where a customer can ask for a pseudonymous staff member as a way of raising the alarm. However, it might all be about to get that bit simpler as Tinder are planning to introduce a panic button in an effort to improve user safety.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the new feature will be tested in the US from the end of January, allowing anyone who feels in danger during a date to raise the alarm.

The in-built safety feature would provide police with a person’s real-time location in case of an emergency.

So how does it work?

Users will be able to trigger the alarm within the Tinder app, the alert is then sent to Noonlight - a third party safety app - where a safety staff member will text and then call the user to see if they need help. The police are only contacted if the user requests help, or does not answer their phone.

If it is accidentally triggered, the alert process can be stopped by entering a code.

Though we don't yet know when the feature will be launched in the UK, it's a big step for the world of dating apps - especially as platforms can't find out whether a user has a history of abusive or predatory behaviour.

And there's hope that things will progress even further in the future.

'As technology evolves, we will continue to aggressively deploy new tools to eradicate bad actors,' a Match Group spokesperson said at the time.

In the meantime, stay safe (you can find safe dating guidelines here) and remember... you look gorgeous.

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