Online safety watchdog Netsafe is calling on the Government to follow Australia’s lead and regulate the use of online dating apps.
Australia’s online dating code has been updated in an effort to identify and stop harassment and better protect users.
One woman who has used dating apps in the past told 1News she knows “lots of women” who get “really cruel” messages about their appearance.
Another app user said they’ve receive “a lot of strange messages which – to some extent, I suppose – could be considered harassment”.
They added that some of this behaviour continues offline.
“Someone who I’d matched with a few months prior come up to me at work and go, ‘I finally found you’.”
Netsafe CEO Brent Carey told 1News they have seen a 25% jump in reports of social media harm, with dating apps among the top 10 platforms.
“This year, we’re experiencing a growth in ‘sextortion’, and that’s where images are used to extort mostly young people,” he said.
Across the Tasman, officials have implemented an online dating industry code of conduct, which requires apps to have systems to detect online harm, have prominent reporting tools, a rating system for code compliance, and to terminate offenders’ accounts.
“We would hope that there could be lessons learnt from what’s going on at the moment for other countries as well,” Australian dating app expert Lisa Portolan said.
Carey said they were “great initiatives that we would like New Zealanders to also benefit from”.
He said updating the current Harmful Digital Communications Act would help.
However, the Government said it’s not currently looking at regulating the online dating industry, adding that anyone experiencing harm on the sites or apps should contact Netsafe.
