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Bumble Is Banning Body Shamers And Racists To A Make The App A Safer Place

Bumble Is Banning Body Shamers And Racists To A Make The App A Safer Place

The app hopes this new direction will help create a 'kinder and more accepting internet for everyone​'.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Dating apps can be a beautiful, wonderful place where you could eventually find The One. It can also be a cesspool of endless, boring chat and disgusting behaviour.

Unsolicited dick pics and ghosting aside, fat-shaming has been a problem on many of the apps for some time, but Bumble has announced plans to stop that.

The app is introducing a new policy that ensures the user's experience is 'rooted in respect and kindness'.

As a result, users will have to sign a new Terms and Conditions waiver that acknowledges they won't partake in 'unsolicited and derogatory comments made about someone's appearance, body shape, size, or health'.

Bumble said in a statement: "This includes language that can be deemed fat-phobic, ableist, racist, colourist, homophobic or transphobic.

"Body shaming is not acceptable on or off of the Bumble app. For those who may not know, body shaming means forcing your opinion of a 'good body' onto others.

"It can come in the form of sending a message to someone that's critical of their body or health, or by stating in your Bumble bio that a certain kind of body is unacceptable or undesirable.

"Body shaming includes fat shaming, health shaming, criticising skin or hair, thin shaming, unsolicited opinions, and mocking someone's physical features."

Bumble acknowledges body shaming can negatively affect someone's mental health and they want to stamp it out.

PA

The social dating app said if you're ever faced with the worry that what you might say could be considered body shaming then don't say it and find another conversation topic.

The company said anyone caught body shaming in the chat function will get a warning and if they keep repeating their behaviour then they will be banned.

Victims of body shaming are being encouraged to report every and all users who commit this type of behaviour. They're also reminded there are several features, including Block & Report, Unmatch & Report, and Hide & Report, that can help.

Bumble hopes this new direction will help create a 'kinder and more accepting internet for everyone'.

Most people, you would think, would have supported this measure, however Married At First Sight star Dean Wells reckons it's a violation of free speech.

He posted a story to his Instagram saying: "Aaand yet another example of our freedoms being taken away one by one.

"Little by little our right to say, think and do whatever we want is being eroded."

After being picked apart by his followers, he agreed body shaming was bad but was worried that his free speech rights were being eroded.

Funnily enough, he is free to say whatever he wants, he just won't be doing it on Bumble.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: News, Technology