Contributed by: kellyseal on Friday, January 13 2023 @ 04:16 pm
Last modified on Friday, January 13 2023 @ 04:46 pm
Following a devastating study by Brigham Young University which found that hundreds of instances of rape in Utah could be linked to dating apps, the state’s lawmakers are introducing legislation to help curb the problem.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, under the proposed legislation, online dating platforms would be required to provide a list of safety measures as well as instructions for how users can report assaults. These companies will also be expected to notify members if background checks are conducted and if a user they’ve messaged has been banned from the app.
The legislation had been proposed before, but now is being reintroduced this legislative session by state Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, according to The Tribune[*1] .
Research Director Dr. Julie Valentine, who led the BYU study, told the Tribune: “We really believe that our findings indicate that violent sexual predators use dating apps as hunting grounds for vulnerable victims.” Researchers found that vulnerable people were especially targeted. Those with mental illnesses made up 60 percent of the victims in the cases they studied.
Researchers also found that among 2,000 rape cases that involved an acquaintance, 14 percent occurred on the first date after matching on a dating app. Roughly 22 percent of the victims were college students.
According to The Tribune, Valentine is working with Romero on the language of the bill, and noted it was a “great starting point.” She stressed the importance of the language used since victims are often hesitant to report an assault. They fear not being believed, or that they will somehow be blamed for what happened. She is advocating to ensure people first and foremost feel comfortable reporting an assault, so that something can be done to prevent future violent acts.
The original bill had some problematic language, according to The Tribune’s interview with Valentine, which is why they are rewriting the new legislation. The original bill focused on the dating app users and what they “should or shouldn’t do,” placing a burden of safety on individuals instead of the app developers.
“We wrote the bill so that there would be increased responsibility on dating app companies to clearly state sexual assault and clearly have reporting mechanisms for sexual assault and support services for sexual assault,” Valentine told The Tribune.
Dating app Bumble has been advocating for more safety legislation state by state, focusing on unsolicited messages. More states seem to be introducing legislation to enhance safety over dating apps, and Utah is the latest.
Valentine also said that she plans to work with dating app companies directly on safety practices to address the issue, and not just with legislators.