A proposal in the Philippines to criminalize “messages read but not returned” in dating, said Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. in a note accompanying his bill: “ghosting can be compared to a form of emotional abuse and should be punished as an emotional crime. compared to a form of emotional abuse and should be punished as an emotional crime.”
According to Engadget, Teves cites research showing that social exclusion activates the same neurological pathways as physical pain, arguing that “ghosting is a form of resentment that produces feelings of rejection and neglect,” and claiming that the emotional loss affects productivity. The bill does not propose specific penalties, but Teves suggested in an interview that penalties should be imposed for community service.
The proposal defines ghosting as “messages read and not returned” that occur when a person is “engaged in a dating relationship,” which is defined as a relationship in which the parties live together without being married or “Teves said casual acquaintances or “ordinary social interactions” do not constitute a dating relationship.
In addition, ghosting would only be defined as “for no apparent reason other than to cause emotional distress to the victim,” although the Washington Post notes that the proposal is unlikely to pass in its current form because there are too many ambiguities.
