Dark side of dating apps

IT IS the not-so-romantic side of online dating, with those looking for love reporting being sexually harassed, stalked, sent lurid photos and even having secret pictures taken of themselves while having sex.

A groundbreaking survey released on Monday of almost 10,000 Australians aged 18 to 54 who have used online dating sites has revealed the seedier and dangerous side of looking for love online.

Instead of finding the partner of their dreams, they reported becoming the victims of sexually based crimes including having their drinks spiked, being abused and forced to perform sex acts.

The shocking details have been revealed in a report by the Australian Institute of Criminology, the first of its kind to explore technology-facilitated sexual violence on a national scale.

In the report, three in four dating app users said they had been subjected to online sexual violence. More than half of all the users surveyed – 60 per cent – reported being subjected to multiple forms of abuse.

The report said the increased use of mobile dating apps in the past 10 years had coincided with concerns about the rising number of users experiencing high levels of sexual harassment, aggression and violence.

It revealed technology-based sexual violence was a common experience and users were often repeatedly victimised, with one-third reporting being victims of in-person sexual violence by someone they had met online.

The findings showed the most common offence reported was sexual harassment followed by abusive and threatening language, image-based sexual abuse – the non-consensual filming or taking of sexual pictures in person, and stalking.

AIC deputy director Dr Rick Brown said the research revealed dating app sexual violence was experienced much more frequently by women and LGBTIQ+ men and women compared to heterosexuals.

The report found one in three of all users – 34 per cent – had been subjected to sexual violence after they met “in the real world”. Of those, more than 27 per cent had been sexually assaulted or coerced, including being pressured verbally to perform unwanted sex acts after having their drink spiked.

Dating app users also reported being subjected to offenders lying about their sexual health status, stealthing (removing a condom secretly without consent), and having secret images taken of them while engaging in sexual activity.

One of the most alarming findings was that 96 per cent of respondents who reported in-person sexual violence were also victims of online sexual violence.

Dr Brown said the high levels of sexual violence reported showed the need for dating apps and websites to embed safety design features.