Nearly in one in five UK girls receive unwanted images online, poll finds

A poll of 4,000 young people in the UK found widespread online misogyny and harassment. About a quarter of girls reported being called degrading names online. One in seven 13- to 15-year-olds reported being asked to send a nude photo, and a third of those asked included 36% of girls. A quarter of all surveyed said they had seen a nude photo originally sent privately and then shared. Nearly one in five girls reported repeated messages after asking the sender to stop. Many boys reported pressure to act tough, join banter, and avoid challenging sexist comments, with some saying friends would not back them.

"Its survey of 4,000 young people found that a quarter of girls had been called degrading names online, while one in seven 13- to 15-year-olds had been asked to send a nude photo. Lynn Perry, the chief executive of Barnardo's, said the survey showed that online abuse and harassment were becoming part of the background noise of growing up. These findings show how constant, corrosive and deeply embedded it is in the lives of young people today both on and offline, she said."

"The results from thousands of 13- to 20-year-olds showed that a quarter of girls said they had been called degrading names online, while more than half of boys said they were expected to act tough and not show emotion. A quarter of all those surveyed said they had seen a nude photo that had originally been sent privately and then shared, while a third said they had been asked to send a nude photo, including 36% of girls."

"Nearly one in five girls (18%) also reported receiving repeated messages after asking the sender to stop or ignoring them, while 41% of boys agreed that if a girl posted photos online, she should expect comments about how she looked. The survey also revealed how boys felt unable to call out their peers, with more than one in five (21%) saying their friends would not back them if they challenged sexist comments."

"The majority (57%) of boys said people would think they were boring if they did not join in with the group's banter. Lauren Spiers, a children's services manager for Barnardo's Northern Ireland, said the charity was hearing stories of girls being repeatedly verbally abused in"

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