Is InterPals Safe? Its Age Rules, Scam Warnings and What to Check Yourself (2026)

Short answer: InterPals has clear safety rules, but it is an open pen pal site that doesn't pre-screen what people send, so no one can call it risk-free. It is for ages 13 and up, says adults can't message younger teens, and uses automated systems to act on reports around the clock. Its own safety page also warns about romance and investment scams.

So the useful question is "what does InterPals do, and what is left to me?" This page sets out what InterPals' own pages say, as we read them on 3 November 2026, what users complain about, and what you can check yourself.

Find a pen pal now, text only, adults 18+

Olu is an independent app, not affiliated with InterPals or any app named here. Everything about InterPals below comes from its own website, its App Store listing and public reviews; policies change, so check interpals.net for the latest.

What InterPals says it does

InterPals says it has more than 8.5 million users in 180+ countries, has run since 1998, and is free. From its safety page and its Terms of Service:

• Minimum age 13. The safety page says InterPals is for people aged 13 and older and that accounts of under-13s are removed. The terms (section 3.6) prohibit under-13s too. The US App Store listing rated it 13+.
• Adults can't message younger teens. The safety page says so directly.
• Reports, around the clock. Automated systems act on reports at any hour, reports are confidential, and an appeal gets a fresh review.
• Blocking is silent. The other person isn't told you blocked them.
• No sexual images. The terms (section 7.8) ban nudity and sexual images.
• Scam warnings. The safety page says never to send money, gift cards or crypto, and to be wary of fast declarations of love, requests to move to another app, and investment offers.
• No pre-screening. The terms (section 7.4) say InterPals does not pre-screen content, and (section 22.1) that it has the right but no obligation to monitor. Section 5.6 says it may examine messages to check that members follow the rules.

That last point is the honest one. InterPals' rules are clear, but most enforcement starts with a report.

What users and reviewers say

Public reviews are mixed. On SmartCustomer, InterPals was rated about 2 out of 5 from a small number of reviews, several describing fake profiles or scammers, when we checked in November 2026; review sites like that skew towards people with a problem. Long-time users and press write-ups, such as a positive piece in The Daily Star, describe it as a good way to find real pen pals.

The patterns worth knowing about are the ones InterPals itself warns about: profiles that move fast to love, money or "let's talk on another app", and investment offers. Individual complaints, such as bans people don't understand, can't be checked from outside, so we don't repeat them here.

None of this means InterPals is unsafe. It means the site is open, and your habits do much of the work.

What you can check yourself

You don't need to trust any site's promises if you keep a few habits:

1. Read the profile before you reply. Real interests, a language goal and a normal message are good signs. A model-style photo, an empty profile or a love letter as the first message are not.
2. Keep the chat on InterPals at first. Moving to WhatsApp, Telegram or Instagram early takes you out of reach of the report button.
3. Keep personal details private. Your full name, address, school or workplace and phone number can wait. If you send real letters, think about a PO box.
4. Never send money, gift cards or crypto, and never take investment tips from a pen pal, whatever the story.
5. Report, then block. Report first so the team can see what happened. Blocking alone only protects you.
6. Watch for pressure. Fast affection, urgency and requests for photos are the usual warning signs.

Our safety tips for text chat with strangers go through these in more detail and apply to any app.

If you want an adults-only, text-only option

InterPals mixes teens and adults on one site. If you would rather chat only with adults, by text, that is a different product.

• Olu is free, text only and for adults 18+. Every message is translated both ways, and it runs in the browser. One tap looks for someone online now (or an AI local, always marked AI). Messages are filtered, you can report and block, and location data is stripped from photos; see the Olu safety page.
• For more options, including slow letter apps, see our InterPals alternatives and apps like Slowly.

Meet more people at World hour

Olu's community is small, so who is around depends on the hour. That is why there is World hour: every day at 19:00 UTC, for 30 minutes, members from different countries come online together, and a search is far more likely to find a real person.

19:00 UTC is evening in Europe, afternoon in the Americas and late night in East Asia. To see it in your own time and a friend's, use the time zone overlap tool.

The short version

InterPals has the basics: a 13+ age limit, a block on adults messaging younger teens, a ban on sexual images, confidential reports and clear scam warnings. It doesn't pre-screen what people send, so keep money and personal details out of new conversations, stay on the site until you trust someone, and report anyone who asks for money or photos.