Girls being left at risk online as tech firms fail to act, says NSPCC

Social media platforms a failing to protect girls under the age of 18 from online abuse, harassment and exploitation.

That is according to the NSPCC, which this week released a new report identifying the “wide range of risks” that girls face online.

The children’s charity commissioned PA Consulting to conduct a new report, Targeting of Girls Online, which identified a wide range of risks girls face across ten popular online platforms including grooming, harassment and abuse.

As part of the research, fake profiles of a teenage girl were created on these sites.

The report found that the detailed nature of the profiles made it too easy for adult strangers to pick out girls and send unsolicited messages to their accounts.

Findings also highlighted how many of the features and functionalities employed by tech companies subliminally encourage young girls to increase their online networks, online consumption, and online activity – often at the expense of their own safety.

In response the NSPCC is urging Ofcom to address the significant gaps in its Illegal Harms Codes which fail to take into account specific risks which would be mitigated by solutions found in the report.

Online safety concerns

It comes as new YouGov polling for the children’s charity of 3,593 adults from across Great Britain including 193 adults from Wales, found that most respondents in both Great Britain (86%) and in Wales (86%) believe tech companies are doing too little to protect girls under the age of 18 on their platforms.

The survey also polled 431 parents with daughters, who listed their top concerns as:

• Contact from strangers (41%)
• Online grooming (40%)
• Bullying from other children (37%)
• Sexual abuse or harassment (36%)

More than half of parents said they were concerned about their daughters’ online experiences.

The Online Safety Act 2023, passed in October, gives Ofcom new powers to regulate digital platforms and require them to protect users—especially children—from illegal and harmful content.

Under the law, platforms must prevent the spread of child sexual abuse material, online grooming, and content promoting self-harm or harassment.

Companies that fail to comply can face fines or criminal sanctions.

However, the NSPCC has argued that the current framework lacks gender-specific safeguards, leaving girls particularly vulnerable online.

Next steps

The charity is calling on Ofcom to develop best practice guidance for regulated services, which outlines how safety settings and other protections can be tailored by age.

It has also urged the regulator to work with service providers, especially those most used by children.

Other proposed solutions for social media companies include:

• All services conducting ‘abusability studies’ to identify risky features and functionalities, as well as testing any new feature before rolling it out. These tests must include a gendered analysis of likely risk
• Integrating screenshot tools into a reporting function, along with automatically detecting identifiable information in bios.
• Cooling-off periods after new connections are made, limiting interaction initiall.
• Stronger measures to prevent non trusted adults from being able to video call young users.

The NSPCC has long heard from young girls about their negative experiences online through Childline which encouraged them to undertake this research.

One 15-year-old who contacted Childline said: “I’ve been sent lots of inappropriate images online recently, like pictures of naked people that I don’t want to see.

“At first, I thought they were coming from just one person, so I blocked them.

“But then I realised the stuff was coming from loads of random people I don’t know.

“I’m going to try disable ways people can add me, so hopefully I’ll stop getting this stuff.”

Response to the report

Rani Govender, Policy Manager for Child Safety Online, said it is “crystal clear that tech companies are not doing nearly enough to create age-appropriate experiences for girls.”

“We know both on and offline girls face disproportionate risks of harassment, sexual abuse, and exploitation,” said Rani Govender.

“That’s why it’s so worrying that these platforms are fundamentally unsafe by design – employing features and dark patterns that are putting girls in potentially dangerous situations.

“There needs to be a complete overhaul of how these platforms are built.

“This requires tech companies and Ofcom to step up and address how poor design can lead to unsafe spaces for girls.

“In Wales, the Government must also take action to help prevent child sexual offences online and respond to this evidence of heightened risk to girls.

“This requires coordination across Welsh Government​strategies. Unwavering commitment to tackle Child Sexual Abuse in all its forms is vital.

“The Welsh Government must publish a national Strategy that​delivers this coherent approach and funds targeted measures to address the enhanced vulnerability faced by girls online.”

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “No girl should have to face abuse or sexual harassment simply for being online. Yet this is the reality for too many girls growing up in the UK – and it’s time for tech companies to act.

“Under the Online Safety Act, platforms are legally required to protect all users from criminal activity. This includes violent threats, harassment, stalking, and coercive or controlling behaviour targeting girls.

“Children must also be protected against harmful content promoting violence, abuse and hate. Companies that fail to meet these new requirements can expect to face enforcement action.

“But we also know that many online harms disproportionately affect women and girls.

“So there is a moral imperative for tech firms to take action, and we’ve proposed practical guidance on what more they can do to ensure women and girls can live safer lives online.”

Young people looking for support on any of the issues mentioned, can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or visit Childline.org.uk. Childline is available to all young people until their 19th birthday. Adults who are concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000, or email: [email protected]@NSPCC.org.uk