Tinder looks to combat bad behaviour with new feature: 'Stop hiding behind a screen'

One of the most recognisable and popular dating apps in the world is set to roll out a new safety feature to try and combat bad behaviour on the platform.

Following the Australian Government demanding dating firms boost their safety practices to protect users against sexual violence, Tinder is introducing new safety warnings to promote their recently updated community guidelines of ‘authenticity, respect and inclusivity.’

It means users who are found to be breaching the app’s guidelines (by sending inappropriate messages to other users) could see themselves banned from the app. However, there are questions about the impact this will have on users and the natural flow of conversation for those who are looking for love.

The latest update will see users receive an inbox message from Team Tinder if a breach has occurred. Once it has been sent to a user, it cannot be deleted. It also won't be shared with anyone speaking to that person to alert them they are communicating with someone who is breaching community guidelines.

Multiple messages mean the user could be banned from using the app if they don’t take the warning seriously. Users will also be prompted to re-read Tinder’s community guidelines in the same message.

The move is in response to pressure from the Australian Government to see a voluntary code from the industry look at ways to better support at-risk users and create stronger safety policies.

According to the Australian Institute of Criminology, three-in-four people using dating apps or websites have experienced sexual violence including sexual harassment, stalking, threatening language or image-based sexual abuse.

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Match Group, who owns Tinder, Hinge, Plenty of Fish and OK Cupid have previously confirmed they would work with regulators and Women’s Services Network to combat gender-based violence across several of their platforms.

A Tinder Spokesperson told Yahoo Lifestyle that safety is their priority and they want users to have an authentic, fun and safe experience but don’t believe it will change the natural flow of conversation between users.

“We continuously invest in our safety features having released over 20 in-app safety features in the past three years and educational materials and partnerships with NGOs. This is part of our ongoing efforts to help all our users have a safe and fun experience. By providing more visibility to the user about their behaviour we hope this improves their experience and the experience of other users,” they said.

“We hope this new feature, along with our other new innovations like ID Verification, has a lasting positive impact and allows people to connect authentically whilst also being respectful.”

Its not the first time Tinder has strengthened their user experience to try and protect those doing the right thing from sexual violence or poor behaviour from others. In 2020 the ‘Does this bother you’ feature was introduced, which flagged potentially- inappropriate messages, asking the user if they wished to report it. Then in 2021 Tinder also launched, ‘Are you sure’, a similar feature but for sending inappropriate messages. Machine learning detected possible harmful language and prompted the user to double check if they wanted to send it.

Tinder users are welcoming the change, saying the added safety features are a step in the right direction. Queensland resident Rebecca* has told Yahoo Lifestyle she still feels unsafe using the app at times, but is quicker to block users who use inappropriate language.

“I still use Tinder, but I’m quick to block (if someone is using obscene language). Hopefully it’ll mean I won’t need to because accounts using disrespectful language will have already been removed.”

She has questioned how the technology will work, but doesn't believe it will change the natural flow of conversation between users who are on the app to either find love or a hook up.

“I think it’ll help keep it safer, but it depends what words the app will flag. I’m sure you can still achieve that by using respectful language. People need to take accountability and stop hiding behind a screen,” she said.

*name has been changed

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