Wattpad is finally closing its in-app Direct Messages, claiming that the feature does not align with "the community aspect" anymore and that it has "only been relevant to a small percentage of our global user base."
Instead, the platform is recommending users and writers to turn towards public comment sections and "Conversations" section of profile pages to communicate with the community.
All of the messages on the platform will remain until May 6.
Unfortunately, Wattpad does not have a download function for Direct Messages, meaning all communications will be gone once the feature phases out.
Once the feature is gone, only Wattpad will be able to message users for notifications, user inquiries, and other relevant updates on the platform.
Wattpad's Community Has a Problem with Grooming, Sexual Harassment: Reports
Although the announcement did not mention it in the community update, it has long been noted that Wattpad has a problem with combating grooming and sexual predators.
A Forbes article in 2022 alleged the community-led storytelling platform of having "substandard safety precautions" against people manipulating children and teens.
It does not help that the platform already has a problem in moderating explicit and sexually suggestive content from its writers, further attracting sexual predators to
Several court cases have already been filed in the past regarding Wattpad and its parent company Naver in online child protection measures.
Relevant data statistics estimate that over 50% of the users in the platform are under the age of 18, more than 70% of which are women.
Lawmakers Move Towards Restricting Children's Access to Social Media
While social media and online community platforms are scrambling to strengthen their guardrails against sexual predators, lawmakers are also pushing toward more restrictive access to these sites.
Just last February when several social media CEOs met with the US Senate, several senators urged the companies' endorsement of the proposed Kids Online Safety Act.
The controversial law, which allows states to punish social media companies if they deem a post problematic for children, effectively gives power to the government to silence certain opinions and information.
So far, Snapchat, Microsoft, and X (formerly Twitter) have already declared support for the act, while Meta and TikTok preferred the current social media rules.
Several states have also been reported as rolling out laws that will stop children under the age of 16 from accessing social media altogether without their parents' or guardians' express consent.
Many digital experts called out these laws as a violation of children's right to self-expression and freedom of speech.
