Survey Unveils that 40% of Women Have Experienced or Witnessed Sexual Harassment on Social Media Platforms…
Key Discoveries:
A significant 20.8% of women have personally encountered sexual harassment on various social media platforms. Approximately 39.7% of women have either witnessed or experienced sexual harassment online through social media. Among female victims of social media sexual harassment, 57% reported Facebook and Facebook Messenger as the platforms where it predominantly occurred. Out of the women who faced harassment, 79% received unsolicited messages and/or sexual comments. Around 68.2% of the surveyed women, totaling 3,000 active social media users, believe that social media companies do not sufficiently safeguard individuals.
Introduction and Survey Objective
SellCell, a leading website for comparing mobile phone prices, has conducted a survey investigating the prevalence of online sexual harassment against women on social media. Carried out by OnePoll on behalf of SellCell, the survey gathered responses from 3,000 women in the UK who actively use social media and related applications. The primary aim was to determine the extent of sexual harassment experienced by women and their observations of such incidents.
Main Findings
(Please note that the questions and answers cover sensitive topics.)
Out of the 3,000 UK women who participated in the survey and use social media, 40% confirmed they have experienced or witnessed sexual harassment on social media platforms or apps. Among the respondents, 21% stated that they had personally faced sexual harassment on social media platforms or apps. The survey revealed that 57% of the 624 women who experienced sexual harassment on social media encountered it through Facebook or Facebook Messenger. Regarding the type of harassment, 79% of victims received unwelcome sexual comments or messages. Approximately 76% of women who encountered sexual harassment on social media took action by blocking the offenders. Long-term effects of social media sexual harassment were reported by 32% of victims, including feelings of violation and intimidation. Among the 2,342 respondents who had not experienced sexual harassment on social media, the majority (69%) attributed their safety to being selective in choosing whom to follow or accept friend requests from. Around 68.2% of the 3,000 female social media users surveyed expressed dissatisfaction with the efforts of social media platforms in protecting individuals from online sexual harassment.
Survey Questions Summary
SellCell and OnePoll posed the following questions to 3,000 UK women who use social media, exploring sexual harassment encountered through social media platforms or apps. Content warning: some questions and answers contain sensitive or sexual language.
Question 1: How would you describe your experience of sexual harassment through a social media platform/app?
When asked about their experience of sexual harassment through social media platforms or apps, 39.7% (1,190) of respondents acknowledged personally experiencing or witnessing such incidents. Out of the total respondents, 20.8% (624) confirmed that they had personally experienced sexual harassment on a social platform or application. This implies that the remaining 79.2% have not encountered sexual harassment while using social media platforms or apps.
Question 2: If you have not personally experienced sexual harassment through a social media platform or application, why do you believe you have avoided such experiences? [Select all that apply]
Among the respondents who hadn’t experienced social media sexual harassment (2,342 women), 69% (1,605) attributed their safety to being selective about whom they follow or accept friend requests from. 42% preferred to keep their social media accounts private to avoid harassment, and 41% refrained from posting personal information due to a lack of trust in the platforms’ ability to protect them. 32% solely used social media for news and updates rather than socializing, while 5% limited their social media use to work or business purposes.
Question 3: If you have personally experienced sexual harassment through a social media platform or application, on which platforms/apps did it occur? [Select all that apply]
57% of the 624 women who experienced sexual harassment on social media identified Facebook and/or Facebook Messenger as the primary platforms or apps where they faced harassment. 37% of these women reported Instagram as the platform, while 26% mentioned dating apps like Tinder or Hinge as culprits for sexual harassment. 4% of respondents who faced online sexual harassment fell victim to offenders on LinkedIn, a professional networking platform.
Question 4: If you have personally experienced sexual harassment through a social media platform or application, what types of sexual harassment have you encountered? [Select all that apply]
The majority (79%) of those who faced sexual harassment on social media reported receiving unsolicited sexual comments or messages.
59% of victims mentioned feeling uncomfortable due to friend requests or invitations from strangers.
48% of those who fell prey to offenders received pornographic photos or videos.
9% of victims of online social media sexual harassment were threatened with sexual violence.
Question 5: If you have personally experienced sexual harassment through a social media platform or application, did you report or take any action? [Select all that apply]
Among the 624 women who experienced sexual harassment on social media, 76% chose to block the individual who sexually harassed them. 42% of the respondents reported the offender to the social media app or platform where the abuse occurred. 5% escalated the matter to the police, while unfortunately, 11% did nothing, believing that neither the platform, the app, nor the police would take action against the offender.
Question 6: If you have personally experienced sexual harassment through a social media platform or application, what long-term effects have you experienced as a result? [Select all that apply]
Out of the women who encountered sexual harassment as per question one, 32% reported feeling violated and/or intimidated by the experience. 21% expressed doubt about their personal appearance due to the sexual harassment, while 19% mentioned suffering from anxiety. The careers of 3% of the victims were negatively affected by the actions of the offender, and 10% reported impacts on their current intimate relationships.
Question 7: Which of the following statements best describes your experience of sexual harassment through a social media platform/app? (All respondents)
Of the 3,000 women surveyed, a substantial majority of 68.2% (2,045 women) stated that social media companies do not adequately address sexual harassment on their platforms or applications.
Only 7.8% believed that social media companies are doing enough, while 24.0% were unsure about the companies’ efforts to protect female users from sexual harassment.
