Effects of harmful online contact by gender 2022

According to a global survey of internet users conducted between January and February 2022, around a third of female respondents said that they had stopped themselves saying what they think online after experiencing harmful online contact. Additionally, almost a quarter of women reported having reduced their internet usage as a result of abusive online contact. Among the more severe effects of coming in contact with harmful material online, internet users reported experiencing panic attacks, anxiety, and lower self-esteem.

Global internet users reactions to harmful online contacts as of February 2022, by gender

Characteristic	Men	Women
I have stopped myself from saying what I actually think online	26	32
I have reduced my internet usage	21	24
I have experienced lower self-esteem or a loss of self-confidence	18	26
I have stayed off social media	19	17
I have felt isolated or like I needed to withdraw into myself	15	18
I have been less able to focus on everyday tasks	17	16
I have experienced panic attacks, anxiety or stress	13	18
I have not been able to sleep well	14	15
My relationships with friends or family have been threatened	13	13
My job or job prospects have been threatened	9	6
None of the above	27	23
Other	3	3
Don't know	3	3
Prefer not to say	2	2

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Release date

March 2022

More information

Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

January 21 to February 4, 2022

Number of respondents

4,444 respondents

Age group

16-74 years

Method of interview

Online survey

Supplementary notes

According to the source: internet users "saying yes to viewing comments or images online which suggest men are superior to women and viewing comments or images online which suggest that women cause many of the problems facing men".

Original question: "How, if at all, has this type of online contact affected you?"

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