Young People’s Experiences of Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence During COVID-19

This mixed-method research focuses on young people’s experiences of technology-facilitated gender-based violence during COVID-19 in England. Professor Tanya Horeck shared six key findings in this report:

  1. ‘We are now in a post-digital society’: The research challenges the idea of isolating digital practices. We need to acknowledge the inseparability of online and offline experiences, and gender-based violence often occurs online but can also move across to offline spaces, and vice versa.
  2. Online harm is rife for young people: 78% of all participants in our study experienced at least one type of digitally facilitated harm. For almost all participants (98.5%), these harms increased during COVID-19.
  3. Higher rates for sexual and gender minorities: Researchers must pay attention to how identity characteristics impact young people’s experiences, and tailor resources and support accordingly.
  4. Challenges for Boys: There are significant findings around boys that need to be addressed. Boys faced issues on gaming platforms, received unsolicited sexual images, and felt pressure to send nudes.
  5. Underreporting: Most young people do not report online harm due to reasons such as doubt about efficacy, fear of parental reactions, sexist cultures in schools, and disillusionment with social media platforms.
  6. Teacher and Parent Struggles: Teachers and parents lack guidance to address online harms and need more support in dealing with these issues.

In summary, the findings emphasize the need for a nuanced understanding of digital harms, considering the intersectionality of identity characteristics. Additionally, the report highlights the importance of supporting youth activism while acknowledging its potential negative impact and the toll it takes on teens. One of the key takeaways from the report underlined by Professor Tanya is that “it’s imperative to give young people the space, time, and support they need to work through these issues, and participatory research and grassroots co-production are imperative as we all navigate our way forward into post-digital futures.”

The full report is available here: https://www.aru.ac.uk/news/uk-teens-experience-huge-spike-in-online-harm

Blog author: Sitian Chen