How Love Island Australia’s new “consent heart” button works in Season 5

The newest addition to the Love Island Australia villa is a pink heart hanging on the wall above each bed to combat sexual assault.

While reality TV shows are supposed to bring laughter and entertainment among viewers, there have been some horrid moments in the past that are still discussed to this day.

Mainly, there have been several instances where sexual assault has taken place between cast members or crew members. Just in Season 2 of Below Deck Down Under alone, there were two stars removed from the show for their on-screen sexual misconduct.

Several other popular shows, including Love Is Blind and Bachelor in Paradise have also been hit with allegations of that same nature.

So, to rectify this issue, Love Island Australia has debuted a new system to make sure this does not happen on their watch.

What is the heart in Love Island Australia Season 5?

On October 30, Love Island Australia’s Executive Producer Alex Mavroidakis spoke with TV Tonight. In the interview, he explained the purpose of the villa’s newest installation, which he calls the ‘consent heart’.

“If anyone starts kissing or touching each other in bed, producers will physically walk into the bedroom and tell them to switch their Consent Heart on. Only at that point are they both consenting adults and we leave them alone. That is something we are so red hot on, and we remind them of it every single day.”

This isn’t the first time that the Australian dating show has been proactive about romance. In Season 4 they had consent lights on the side of each bed to prevent this same issue.

If this button does prove to be successful for Season 5, hopefully, other shows within the Love Island franchise will follow suit.

To stay updated on Love Island Australia and the upcoming seasons, make sure to check our page here.