Today we’re introducing a new OkCupid Member Pledge. Now, before our members can interact with the OkCupid community across the site and on the latest version of our app, they must first agree not to send any harassing or unwanted, sexually explicit messages. It may seem simple, but we’re the first dating app to incorporate a pledge that directly urges members to act courteously and kindly — and we think it’s a pretty big deal.

“While we rely in large part on our iconic questions to create potentially meaningful connections, it’s the people on either end of the app who ultimately have to cultivate a spark,” says OkCupid CEO Elie Seidman. “With the Member Pledge, we’re putting the power in our daters’ hands. This new feature reminds our members that, if you wouldn’t say it to someone you just met at a bar, you shouldn’t be saying it online.”

Like with many apps, our members agree to our Terms & Conditions when signing up — but we get it: small print is small print, and it doesn’t always get read or fully understood. That’s why we’re putting our new Member Pledge front and center, to not only be completely transparent about what we stand for, but also give our members that helpful reminder to pause and think about how you connect with other people online.

Both men and women must agree to the member pledge pop-up before messaging with any other OkCupid members.

Online harassment is an issue that all dating apps must combat. A study conducted by clinical psychologist Dr. Belisa Vranich last month demonstrated that inappropriate messages may be less of an issue on OkCupid than some other dating apps; for example, men reported feeling less inhibited on both Tinder and Bumble than OkCupid when it came to how much they toed the line between flirty and offensive.

At OkCupid, we have a dedicated support & moderation team monitoring both machine-learning alerts that detect harmful language, and member-submitted reports. Still, we can always improve and we want OkCupid to set the standard for other dating apps. So when we discovered that Dr. Vranich’s study also found that 93% of men would not send harassing messages if they had agreed to a pledge that they wouldn’t, the decision to create one was simple.

“Pledges work. Studies show that pledges made publicly are more effective, and specific pledges yield better adherence than those that are not,” Dr. Belisa explained. So we worked with her to create a Member Pledge that was clear and concise, and held our members accountable for their actions.

“The OkCupid Member Pledge represents a new genre with a potentially very successful promise,” Dr. Vranich says. “It asks you not to dump your junk in their yard — pardon the pun. The pledge is specific and informs you that this is an agreement between you, other members, and an entire company that prides itself on working tirelessly to be female-friendly.”

It is our mission to provide our members with an environment that’s friendly, safe, and welcoming to everyone. That’s why we’re so excited to be introducing the new Member Pledge today, and look forward to the response from our community.