Love Island UK Receives 781 Complaints About Bullying, Mental Health in Four Weeks

In the span of four weeks since its June 6 premiere, ITV2's Love Island has received over 781 complaints from viewers.

Complaints sent into U.K. media regulator Ofcom indicate viewers are concerned about bullying, mental health, age gaps between contestants, and certain contestants getting more screen time than others.

An Ofcom spokesperson told Variety, "So far we have received a total of 781 complaints about the current season of Love Island."

A common complaint centers on contestant Gemma Owen, daughter of former soccer star Michael Owen, who received so much screen time at the beginning of the season that viewers on Twitter called Love Island "The Gemma Show." Owen, 19, was also paired with 27-year-old Davide Sanclimenti, leading viewers to express concern about the age gap.

Can’t lie it’s becoming the Gemma show #LoveIsland

— Audrey (@audreythefinest) June 12, 2022

producers need to stop making this the gemma show #loveisland pic.twitter.com/MgyUWv7IrT

— L 💌 (@Lola52007870) July 3, 2022

Viewer complaints are not new for Love Island. Last year, an episode featuring an on-screen argument drew a total of 25,000 complaints, a record-setting number for the series. Love Island has also been the focus of media scrutiny after two of its former contestants, as well as its host Caroline Flack, died by suicide.

In response to the complaints, a spokesperson for ITV told Variety that all contestants have access to mental health services and other support.

New episodes of Love Island UK air Tuesdays through Saturdays on Hulu.

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Deena ElGenaidi's writing has been featured in Nylon, MTV News, Insider, The AV Club, and more. You can follow her on Twitter @deenaelg.