Survey Unveils: 40% of Women Experience or Witness Sexual Harassment on Social Media Platforms
Key Findings:
A recent survey conducted by SellCell, a leading online mobile phone price comparison site, in collaboration with OnePoll, aimed to shed light on the extent of online sexual harassment faced by women on social media. The survey collected responses from 3,000 active female social media users in the UK, exploring personal experiences and instances of witnessing sexual harassment.
Main Discoveries:
(Kindly note that the questions and answers contain sensitive content)
Out of the 3,000 UK women who actively use social media and participated in the survey, 40% have either experienced or witnessed sexual harassment on social media platforms or apps.
Among the respondents, 21% personally encountered sexual harassment on social media platforms or apps.
Among those who experienced sexual harassment, 57% reported that Facebook and Facebook Messenger were the platforms where the incidents occurred.
An overwhelming majority of 79% stated that they received unwelcome messages and/or sexual comments as forms of harassment.
Taking action against the offenders, 76% of women who experienced sexual harassment on social platforms or apps chose to block them.
Long-term effects of social media sexual harassment were reported by 32% of victims, including feelings of violation and intimidation.
Interestingly, 69% of the respondents who hadn’t experienced sexual harassment attributed their safety to their cautious approach in selecting whom to follow or accept friend requests from.
The survey highlighted that 68.2% of the 3,000 female social media users polled believed that social media platforms do not sufficiently protect people from online sexual harassment.
Summary of Survey Questions:
SellCell and OnePoll presented the following questions to 3,000 UK women who actively use social media regarding their experiences with sexual harassment through social media platforms or apps. Please note that some questions and answers in this survey contain sensitive and/or sexual language.
Question 1) Which of the following statements best describes your experience of sexual harassment through a social media platform/app?
Out of the respondents, 39.7% (1,190) stated that they had either personally experienced sexual harassment or had witnessed it online on social media platforms or apps.
Among the 3,000 participants, 20.8% (624) revealed that they had personally encountered sexual harassment on a social platform or application, while the remaining 79.2% had not experienced such harassment.
Question 2) (If you have never personally experienced sexual harassment through a social media platform or application) Why do you think you have avoided personally experiencing sexual harassment on social media? [Select all that apply]
Regarding this question, 69% (1,605) of the 2,342 women who hadn’t personally experienced sexual harassment on social media attributed their safety to being selective about whom they follow or accept friend requests from.
42% of respondents mentioned keeping their social media accounts private to avoid harassment, and 41% refrained from sharing personal information due to concerns about platform safety.
32% used social media solely for staying updated on news and activities, without engaging in social interactions, while 5% used it exclusively for work or business purposes.
Question 3) (If you have personally experienced sexual harassment through a social media platform or application) Which social media platforms/apps have you personally experienced sexual harassment on? [Select all that apply]
Among the 624 women who experienced sexual harassment on social media, 57% specified Facebook and/or Facebook Messenger as the primary platforms where they faced harassment.
Furthermore, 37% mentioned Instagram as the app or platform, while 26% reported encountering harassment on dating apps like Tinder or Hinge.
Interestingly, 4% of respondents faced online sexual harassment on LinkedIn, a platform primarily designed for professional networking.
Question 4) (If you have personally experienced sexual harassment through a social media platform or application) What type(s) of sexual harassment have you ever personally experienced on social media platforms/apps? [Select all that apply]
Among those who faced sexual harassment on social media, 79% reported receiving unwelcome sexual comments or messages.
59% mentioned feeling uncomfortable due to friend requests or invitations from strangers.
48% stated that offenders sent them pornographic photos or videos.
9% experienced threats of sexual violence.
Question 5) (If you have personally experienced sexual harassment through a social media platform or application) When you personally experienced sexual harassment on social media, did you report this to anyone/take any action? [Select all that apply]
Out of the 624 women who experienced sexual harassment, 76% took action by blocking the individual responsible for the harassment.
42% reported the offender to the social media app or platform.
5% escalated the matter to the police, while unfortunately, 11% did not take any action due to a lack of confidence in the platform, app, or police response.
Question 6) (If you have personally experienced sexual harassment through a social media platform or application) Which, if any, long-term effects have you experienced/do you experience as a result of the online sexual harassment you experienced? [Select all that apply]
Among women who answered positively to question one, 32% expressed feeling violated and/or intimidated as a result of the experience.
21% stated that the sexual harassment made them doubt their personal appearance, while 19% reported suffering from anxiety due to the incidents.
The harassment had a negative impact on the current intimate relationships of 10% of victims, and 3% experienced career setbacks due to the actions of the offenders.
Question 7) (All respondents) Which of the following statements best describes your experience of sexual harassment through a social media platform/app?
Out of the 3,000 women surveyed, a significant majority of 68.2% (2,045 women) believed that social media companies inadequately address sexual harassment on their platforms or applications.
Only 7.8% of respondents felt that social media companies were doing enough, while 24.0% were unsure about the companies’ efforts to protect female users from sexual harassment.
