Bumble is now starting to ban people who use ‘body-shaming’ language in their profile or during private conversations with others.
The female-first social app is updating its algorithm to flag potentially offensive language that is based on someone’s appearance. A human moderator will then assess the flagged comments and take the necessary action.
First time offenders will receive a warning and be directed to a number of resources that can help them learn about the harmful impact of their behaviour. If they go on to get reported again, they could be permanently banned from Bumble.
A similar system is already in place to eradicate instances of racism, homophobia and sexism.
Naomi Walkland, Bumble’s head of UK and Ireland, told The Guardian: “[We want to create] a kinder, more respectful and more equal space on the internet. Key to this has always been our zero-tolerance policy for racist and hate-driven speech, abusive behaviour and harassment.
“We always want to lead with education and give our community a chance to learn to recognise this language and improve. However, we will not hesitate to permanently remove someone from the app if there are repeated incidents or particularly harmful comments.”
According to a survey of Bumble users, almost a quarter of women in the UK have been body-shamed on a social networking site or dating app.
Earlier this week Whitney Wolfe Herd signed an open letter to President Joe Biden asking for a “Marshall Plan For Moms”.
The request was published in the New York Times and states that temporary monthly payments should be given to mothers who have been forced to leave their job because of the pandemic.
Read more here.