“It follows you home”: Emotional and psychological impacts of dating-app harassment on Indian women

Abstract

Indian women increasingly use dating apps in search of companionship or romance, yet they commonly encounter harassment and intrusive behaviours shaped by patriarchal structures. Existing research rarely examines the emotional and psychological toll of this online abuse in a non-Western context, leaving critical gaps in our understanding of how gendered power operates in digital spaces. Addressing this gap, the current study explores how educated, urban Indian women experience and respond to harassment on dating apps. Drawing on a feminist phenomenological lens, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with twenty-two participants, focusing on their lived experiences and sense-making. The study's analysis revealed patriarchal expectations, the erosion of self-esteem, the commodification of self-worth, and withdrawal from dating apps as key issues amplifying emotional distress. By centring women's voices, the study underscores the interplay of cultural norms and platform design in perpetuating online violence, exposing how “empowering” digital environments can mask embedded gender inequalities. These findings shed light on the need for both policy-level reforms and culturally sensitive app-design strategies that prioritise Indian womens safety and well-being.