Shout Out UK partnered with London’s Violence Reduction Unit on ground breaking research which found an association between online misogyny and increased levels of Violence Against Women and Girls.
A new report from a research team which included Shout Out UK, commissioned by London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) shows an association between online misogynistic content and an increase in police-recorded, city-wide violence against women and girls. It also reveals that social media algorithms promote and expose young people to violent content and can rapidly escalate real-world conflict. In response, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced a £5m investment for his Violence Reduction Unit to lead a coordinated public health approach to tackling online and digital safety for young people.
The VRU commissioned analysis by M&C Saatchi, Nisien.Ai and Shout Out UK to better understand the role played by social media in fuelling offline violence and misogynistic attacks. It found that young people did not necessarily seek out harmful content, but were still exposed to substantial amounts of violent and abusive content served to them algorithmically.
Data was tracked across posts on X, previously known as Twitter, as it is the only social media platform that provides location data. Although X is not the main platform used by young people, the findings are clear enough on this platform to assume that the same effect is likely to be compounded across those more routinely used by young people, such as Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram.
The VRU research found that social media ‘changed the scale’ of existing disputes between young people, making them public, mass events, generating pressure to respond and making it harder for young people to escape them.
Additionally, in-depth analysis of London data found that there was an association between an increase in misogynistic posts online and a rise in police-recorded violence against women and girls on the same day. This does not infer causality, but demands further research.
The research findings described social media as not simply a host for violent content, but a platform that amplified and accelerated the likelihood of conflict and pressure to respond physically.
Whilst the data analysis didn’t find a statistical link between violent content online and offline physical violence, the findings from focus group interviews among young people and youth workers, conducted by Shout Out UK, found there was an association away from public platforms, for example, in group chats and across platforms with disappearing messages.
In focus group interviews, we heard that some young people were consuming fight videos, stabbing footage and threatening content as entertainment, raising their threshold for what was considered serious.
The research revealed a much clearer association between misogynistic content and violence against women and girls.
Misogynistic content included image-based abuse, sexual shaming, controlling relationship behaviour, and objectification of girls and young women circulated through group chats and algorithmically-recommended feeds.
It also showed that whilst public events and high-profile figures did not create toxic online environments, they appeared to intensify it. The study mapped misogyny online against public moments like the UK women’s march, the Netflix release of Adolescence and the trial coverage of Andrew Tate, with police-recorded data. Whilst the research does not identify causation, the association suggests a connection between online misogyny and offline violence against women and girls.
The report found that the risk of involvement in violence increased for young people with a greater dependence on the online world and without offline support from trusted adults.
It suggests addressing safer platform design and focusing interventions on opportunities to slow the circulation of harmful content in the critical first 24-48 hours. It points to investment in digital youth work to provide support and to strengthen peer-led prevention which is often more influential than adult-led education.
The VRU is calling on platforms routinely used by young people, including Tiktok, Instagram and Snapchat, to play a more active role by sharing data, insight and expertise, to better support young people online.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
“I have consistently warned of the scourge of algorithms promoting hate, division and intentionally serving up both violent and misogynistic content to children and young people.
“Enough is enough. Online platforms must set out publicly how they will adjust algorithms or face the consequences. Our new research shows that platforms promote violent content when young people haven’t searched for it, and reveals an association between misogyny online and violence against women and girls.
“My Violence Reduction Unit will coordinate a London-wide approach to tackling the scourge of online harms for young people, backed up with £5m investment to deliver a range of interventions. London is leading the way on this work and builds on the tech abuse conference I hosted earlier this year and funding to better protect victims of these crimes which forms part of my commitment to continue building a safer London for all.”
Lib Peck, Director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, said:
“The evidence we have published today once again exposes the undeniable influence that algorithms have in funnelling young people towards violent content.
“It not only shows that online content escalates violence, making it harder for young people to escape from, but for the first time it also shows the connection between misogyny online and violence happening to girls and women in London.
“We know that online harms are borderless, but their impact is felt locally. With the Mayor’s investment and support, we will work in partnership to develop and strengthen a city response to keep children and young people safe and so they are able to enjoy the positive opportunities online.”
The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, said: “Supporting young Londoners to recognise dangerous online narratives and behaviour and protecting them from violent and extreme content has never been more important.
“London is leading the way in this work. This year we co-hosted an international conference at City Hall on tackling tech-enabled abuse to inform our pioneering work to support and protect victims of these crimes.
“This will build on the critical package of interventions that VRU is announcing today to equip and support young people to be safe online and part of the Mayor’s wider commitment to reducing violence against women and girls to make Londoner safer for everyone.”
Matteo Bergamini MBE, CEO and Founder of Shout Out UK, said:
“For too long, the blame for online toxicity has been placed entirely on the shoulders of young people. This research completely flips that narrative, proving that algorithms are actively serving up a relentless diet of violence and misogyny to young Londoners who never even asked for it.
Our focus groups with young people and youth workers revealed the immense, rapid pressure that builds the moment a dispute enters the digital arena. Because social media algorithms accelerate conflict in the critical first 24 to 48 hours, our offline interventions have to be just as rapid and dynamic. By funding digital youth work and a targeted peer bystander programme, the VRU is paving the way for an approach that doesn’t just police young people, but empowers them with the vital critical thinking and media literacy tools they need to de-escalate harm and reshape their own online communities.”
For further information on the VRU and our contribution to the research, please contact [email protected]
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We are a multi-award winning social enterprise that provides impartial Political and Media Literacy training and campaigns focused on democratic engagement and combatting disinformation online, tailored to local circumstances and culture.
