The UK's communications watchdog has issued stark new guidance demanding technology companies take immediate action against the 'significant and widespread' online abuse targeting women and girls across digital platforms.
Public Figures Bear Brunt of Digital Harassment
Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes declared in an open letter to technology providers that the digital world is 'not serving women and girls the way it should' and is 'actively harming their participation' in public life. The regulator highlighted that women in sport, politics, and other public arenas endure persistent harassment online every day.
The issue gained prominence when Sport England chairman Chris Boardman contacted Ofcom regarding abuse directed at the England women's football team during Euro 2025. Meanwhile, Parliament's youngest female MP Rosie Wrighting revealed she faces regular insults including being called 'Barbie' and 'stupid girl', noting that 'many great women' have avoided politics due to such online harassment.
Practical Measures to Combat Abuse
Ofcom's comprehensive guidance, which extends beyond legal requirements under the Online Safety Act, urges social media, dating, gaming, and pornography sites to implement several crucial safeguards:
- Introduction of prompts asking users to reconsider before posting harmful content
- 'Timeout' systems for users who repeatedly target victims
- Limits on comments or posts per account to prevent abuse 'pile-ons'
- Tools enabling users to quickly block or mute multiple accounts simultaneously
- Simplified private account settings and enhanced reporting mechanisms
- Automated 'hash-matching' technology to detect and remove non-consensual intimate images
Dame Melanie emphasised that 'no woman should have to think twice before expressing herself online' or worry about abusers tracking her location through digital platforms.
Calls for Mandatory Enforcement
Despite the comprehensive nature of the guidance, online safety organisations have expressed concern that the measures remain recommendations rather than legal requirements. Rachel Huggins, co-chief executive at Internet Matters, urged the Government to make Ofcom's 'A Safer Life Online for Women and Girls' guidance a statutory Code of Practice.
Domestic abuse organisation Refuge echoed these concerns, welcoming the guidance as 'a step towards tackling misogyny' but stressing that meaningful protection will require tech companies to fully engage with the recommendations. The organisation warned that if companies fail to act, the Government must make the guidance legally enforceable.
Ofcom has committed to publishing a progress report in summer 2027 detailing companies' implementation of the measures. The regulator warned that if action falls short, it will consider making formal recommendations to strengthen the Online Safety Act.
Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock described the abuse aimed at sportswomen as 'horrific' and joined calls for technology companies to 'step up and stamp it out'. Chris Boardman added that 'toxic online abuse has terrible offline impacts' and emphasised that the hard-won gains in women's sport must not be destroyed by misogyny.
