Google And Apple Are Banning “Hookup Apps,” But It’s Barely A Scratch On The Surface

Of course, certain parts of Twitter immediately went into a storm, immediately trying to figure out which demographic they’d be able to claim discrimination against. The usual suspects stormed through like a tsunami, claiming that “sex work is real work,” alongside their usual bile on how it was “homophobic” as these places are not porn-spots, they’re “community spaces.” 

The Google Play Store also came under fire recently after suspending polyamorous dating app “#Open” for violating their "Sexual Content and Profanity Policy" – later deemed unjustified by #Open’s official Twitter account, which stated that “The simple fact of the matter is this is out of our control & yet another example of how quickly & effortlessly thousands of marginalized individuals can be silenced." It went on to say, “Facebook, Instagram, & other large tech companies alike, continue to suppress content, ideologies & in turn, communities, through vague ‘guidelines’ that seem to conveniently apply to unconventional brands & thoughts."

#Open has stuck firmly to their statements that their app has played by all of Google’s rules on sexual content, causing further debate on the matter, especially in regards to content suppression, something that seems to be a growing topic in all realms of politics and social discussion. 

Banning Apps Doesn’t Address the Bigger Issues

While debating this issue, I’m sure others will remind me that these are “baby steps” and that it’s good that such powerhouse companies are stepping up their laws, but this has been a major issue for years, and tackling it now with the odd app ban will not make many marks in the sand. We have tech companies that came together to ban a sitting president from nearly every social media platform available, yet the bare minimum is done towards indisputably more important and serious issues. 

Major companies are tackling porn and human trafficking because of growing public pressure.

For the most part, I’d say most major companies tackling porn and human trafficking issues comes down solely to growing public dispute and pressure. Their heart isn’t in it and it’s obvious – they wish to make money and be done with it. There’s no morality or desire to do good with these actions; it’s simply a matter of pleasing whoever shouts loudest at the time. 

So I wouldn’t even be surprised if Apple and/or Google gave in to public pressure from the Twitter crybabies and handed them back their precious hookup apps for the sake of “diversity” or “reuniting the community,” despite their efforts being much better utilized contributing to the fight against child pornography or human trafficking. 

Social Media Is Saturated with Pornography 

While Instagram also recently made an effort to tackle internet porn by introducing sexual content bans, Twitter still remains a breeding ground for sex-selling and graphic porn videos, along with being a place for OnlyFans workers to platform themselves and scour for easy fans.

Twitter gives weak warnings on sexual content and is easy for anyone to access. Bear in mind that you only need to be thirteen to use Twitter. It should be of deep concern to any even mildly caring parent or guardian that children can so easily access such filth via social media. 

Twitter gives weak warnings on sexual content and is easy for anyone over 13 to access. 

Additionally, kinks are overly unleashed within the realms of Twitter. Just ask anyone who’s made the mistake (or the choice) of tweeting out the term “paypig” or “sugardaddy” – they’re automatically hit by an onslaught of horny fiends desperately searching kink-terms all day to satisfy their odd needs (since it would be highly unlikely to ever find a sane person looking for the same things outside their screen). 

One of the creepiest trends I’ve had the misfortune of stumbling upon during innocent scrolls is “DDLG,” the acronym for (and please, prepare yourself) “Daddy-Dom-Little-Girl,” a concerning rising trend within social media where grown men get off on women dressing and acting like little girls. 

With Twitter making no effort to tackle online porn while cranking up the bans on people saying something deemed “offensive,” these perverted trends will no doubt continue to seep their way into people’s timelines while those who (somehow) enjoy them continue to grow more brain-plagued by their internet kinks. 

Closing Thoughts

Bans on hookup apps are a small step in addressing an ever-growing issue that needs firm stomping and cracking down on.  If companies can come together when they think it matters, then they can work harder on the issues that actually do. More can be done, so let’s stop praising the bare minimum from them and expect better. They’re more than capable of it.

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