Can abuse be online?

When people hear the word abuse, they often think of physical violence, aggressive face to face interactions, shouting and signs of visible control to name a few. However, in this day and age, a huge proportion of our lives are online. This includes relationships, friendships and work, which poses an important questions – can abuse happen online?

Cyber abuse or digital abuse refers to harmful behaviours carried out through digital platforms such as social media, messaging apps, emails, gaming spaces or online forums. Whilst online abuse doesn’t involve physical contact, it can still cause deep emotional, psychological and social harm, sometimes lasting years after the initial event.

Online abuse can include (but is not limited to);

• Harassment or repeated unwanted messages
• Threats or intimidation
• Hate speech or discriminatory attacks
• Public shaming or humiliation
• Cyberstalking or constant monitoring
• Sharing private information or images without consent
• Impersonation or account hacking
• Coercive control using technology (tracking, surveillance, or manipulation)

While online abuse can happen to anyone, there are certain groups that are disproportionately targeted;

• Women and girls
• LGBTQ+ individuals
• People of colour and religious minorities
• People with disabilities
• Journalists, activists, and public figures

For many people in these groups, online abuse is often combined with sexism, racism, homophobia or other forms of discrimination which can make the impact even more severe and long lasting.

We are seeing more and more cases of online abuse happening around the world, with numbers rising every year in the UK. In 2024 we see a concerning trend of increasing online harm and abuse, especially concerning children. A statistics briefing carried out by the NSPCC showed that around a sixth of people that experienced online harassment offences were under 18 years old, 19% of children aged 10-15 years old exchanged messages with someone online who they had never met before in the last year and over 9,000 child sexual abuse offences involved an online element in 2022/23.

So what can be done about online abuse? It can often feel impossible to know where to start bt addressing online abuse requires action at multiple levels;

• Individuals can document abuse, set boundaries, and seek support.
• Communities can believe survivors and challenge harmful behaviour.
• Platforms must enforce clear policies and prioritise user safety.
• Society must recognise online abuse as real abuse—not a lesser version.

The 2024 POSH Annual Report highlighted the importance of collaboration between platforms, schools, support services and regulators to protect children from online harms. 

As our digital footprint becomes larger, acknowledging online abuse as legitimate and serious is no longer optional, it is essential. Words, images and actions online can hurt just as deeply as abuse that happens offline.