SCARY FACTS ABOUT TEENAGE GIRLS - ALMOST ALL OF THEIR PEERS EXPERIENCE SOME FORM OF ONLINE ABUSE - Filenews 18/5
A new survey by EIGE, the European Institute for Gender Equality, on online violence against adolescent girls has shown that girls aged 13-18 from ten EU Member States said that almost all of their peers have experienced some form of online abuse.
The results of the study were presented on Monday afternoon during a Conference organized in Nicosia by the Cyprus Presidency of the EU on preventing and combating online violence against girls.
The study was presented by Blandine Mollard, an EIGE researcher via video conference. The results show that girls check their phone before getting out of bed, as they are anxious to see what has been said about them during the night before dealing with any incident at school. This, unfortunately, is a common morning ritual for girls all over Europe.
The report is based on responses from 133 girls aged 13 to 18 in ten EU Member States, namely Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain and Sweden.
"They [the respondents] were organized into two groups according to age. And we also organized group discussions with boys. The goal was slightly different because the focus of the research was actually understanding the girls' experiences. So, with the boys, we discussed the situations that girls face. We wanted to understand to what extent boys may be aware of cyberbullying affecting girls, as well as what their understanding was, their perception of the situation and how they might react when they witness such abuse directed at girls," said Ms Mollard.
The findings, the researcher said, provide valuable information for policymakers to change this very common reality for teenage girls online.
The findings suggest that insults, taunts, and harassment are common in conversations and comments. Also that the abuse is not limited to a single platform, but rather adapts, depending on the specific technical characteristics of each platform, from inappropriate content masquerading as child-friendly on YouTube to harassment through direct messages on Instagram.
The results show that younger girls, aged 13 to 15, talk about exclusion from group conversations, body shaming, gossip, and public humiliation, while older girls, ages 16 to 18, describe a situation where abuse becomes sexualized and manipulative, including coercion, deepfakes, and grooming.
Ms. Mollard said the survey data in particular show that teenage girls tend to be the target of online violence more often than teenage boys. Especially when it comes to online sexual harassment, image-based abuse, and attacks against their name and reputation.
"For many girls, online violence is far from just an occasional threat. It is a persistent feature of their daily lives. What they reported to us is exposure to offensive messages, insults, defamation campaigns, as well as unwanted attention, sometimes on a daily basis or sometimes even on an hourly basis, depending on how active they are online, how often they use these platforms," said the EIGE researcher.
EIGE's research found that for some boys, harassment is a form of show and that sharing a personal image, targeting a girl online, or participating in a group harassment are acts that gain prestige for them.
Research also shows that most teens have witnessed online abuse without intervening, and this pattern could be due to the fear of being targeted or losing their position.
Ms. Mollard also mentioned that sharing and disseminating or misusing images, particularly private images or AI-generated content, thrive on platforms like Instagram or Snapchat.
"In terms of video-based platforms, for example, TikTok, another platform that is extremely popular in this age group, participants reported that this is more of an environment for grooming, for sexier memes or sexist comments in general," he said.
Regarding gaming platforms, participants reported that sometimes it is enough to say a comment as a female user, as a female gamer, and the rest will react immediately with misogynistic and sexist verbal abuse.
The researcher also stated that in the context of the study, they have developed policy recommendations such as prevention and education, legal and policy frameworks, support and protection, monitoring and evaluation.
"Progress requires truly coordinated multi-level strategies at EU and national level, involving multiple actors. So we really hope that this project can promote political action and improve the situation for girls, boys and all those who care for them," she said.
The Conference concludes on Tuesday with panel discussions on educational approaches for boys and young men, emerging challenges and future threats, victim support and protection, and EU policies, synergies and coordination.
CNA
