A nation-wide industry code for dating apps detailing how they'll protect users from harm and abuse begins today.
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00:00These online dating platforms will have six months to comply with this new code of conduct
00:07designed to improve safety for users.
00:10So user safety is a big issue that's being seen.
00:13A 2022 Australian Institute of Criminology report found that three out of four people
00:18who had been surveyed had been subjected to sexual violence on dating apps in the five
00:23years prior.
00:24Now, this code has been in the works since the beginning of last year.
00:27At this stage, it is voluntary before becoming enforceable from April next year.
00:32So the code will require apps to do things like have systems in place to detect potential
00:37incidents of online-enabled harm and also take action against users who are in breach
00:41of those safety policies.
00:43They'll also have to have prominent and transparent ways for people to make reports, and they'll
00:48also have to advise the eSafety Commissioner of how many accounts have been terminated.
00:53They'll have to engage with law enforcement and also escalate threats where there is an
00:57imminent risk to safety.
00:59And the apps will also have a new rating system, which will allow users to see how they stack
01:03up against these new safety regulations.
01:05Now, speaking earlier today, the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said that the
01:09government is doing what it can to keep users safe.
01:13We know that self-regulation is often the best and quickest form of regulation in innovative
01:19industries.
01:20But at the same time, of course, we have consistently said that if this code does not deliver the
01:25safety benefits that we expect for Australians, then the government will have no hesitation
01:29in imposing direct regulation on this sector.
01:32So what we want here is outcomes.
01:35We want people to continue to experience and to have the freedom to choose of these apps.
01:39But they do need to be made safer.
01:41For now, Gemma, this code of conduct is voluntary, but the eSafety Commissioner will be reviewing
01:45it in 2026 to see if it should be made mandatory.