Tinder tweak urges people to think before sending abuse

Dating app Tinder will detect abusive messages and ask the writer to stop and think before sending them, in an effort to tackle harassment.

The automated system will learn to detect "harmful language" from messages reported by users.

Tinder said the "Are you sure?" system had "reduced inappropriate language in messages sent" in trials by about 10%.

Instagram and Twitter already use similar systems to detect abusive comments and tweets.

Instagram asks users "are you sure you want to post this?" if its systems spot bullying or harassment in photo comments.

Earlier in May, Twitter said it would start asking people to review their tweets before posting if they contained "harmful or offensive" language.

Tinder already asks people receiving messages in which it has detected an abusive phrase: "Does this bother you?"

But the new system will ask the writer to reconsider before the message is sent.

The dating app said members who saw the warning during its trial were "less likely to be reported for inappropriate messages over the next month".