The Real Impact of Online Misogyny on Women Across Europe

This NO MORE Week, we are spotlighting the realities of domestic and sexual violence across different regions of the world. Today, we turn to Europe and to a form of abuse that is often dismissed as “just online,” but whose consequences are deeply real: online abuse and misogyny.

As new technologies reshape how we live, work, and connect, they also create new tools for harm. The rapid evolution of digital platforms makes it difficult to fully understand and effectively address online abuse. While the technologies may be new, the consequences for victim-survivors are not abstract. They are immediate, personal, and increasingly political.

When Abuse Follows You Home

As the digital world becomes inseparable from daily life, the boundary between “online” and “offline” continues to blur. Social media, gaming platforms, messaging apps, professional networks, and work chats are not optional extras, they are central to modern participation in society. And for many women, they are also spaces of risk.

A study by Amnesty International in Spain, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and Denmark found that 1 in 5 women have experienced online abuse or harassment, most commonly on social media platforms. Some of  the most common forms of online abuse are sexual harassment and stalking, but women also report cyberbullying, hate speech, sexual exploitation, defamation, intimate image-sharing, sextortion, and revenge porn. 

The impact on victims-survivors often reaches far beyond the online spaces where the abuse takes place and extends into victim’s personal lives. Azmina Dhrodia, Amnesty International’s Researcher on Technology and Human Rights, explains:

“This is not something that goes away when you log off. Imagine getting death threats or rape threats when you open an app, or living in fear of sexual and private photos being shared online without your consent.”

Survivors report anxiety, anger, sleep disruption, and profound isolation. One woman described the impact simply:

“I cannot enjoy everyday life anymore as I’m stuck in fright mode”.

The Silencing Effect: A Societal Problem

The consequences extend beyond individual harm. Author Laura Bates explains:

“We are seeing young women and teenage girls experiencing online harassment as a normal part of their existence online. Girls who dare to express opinions about politics or current events often experience a very swift, misogynistic backlash”

In response to this kind of misogynistic abuse, women and girls alter their behavior online. Research by Amnesty International shows that 76% of women who have experienced online abuse changed how they use social media. Nearly a third stopped sharing their opinions on certain issues altogether.

In 2026, much of our political, cultural, and social debate takes place online. When online misogyny pushes women out of these spaces, it does not only limit personal expression, it also reshapes public discourse. This silencing effect is particularly visible in public life: female politicians, journalists, and human rights defenders across the EU face significantly higher levels of online abuse than their male counterparts. 

Preventing online abuse is therefore not only about individual protection. It is about safeguarding open debate and equal participation in public life.

Legislative Action

Governments across Europe have started to respond. The UK’s Online Safety Act (2023) and the EU’s Digital Services Act (2024) impose new obligations on technology companies to protect users and mitigate harmful content.

These are important steps. But enforcement remains complex. Definitions of harm are often contested, implementation relies heavily on platform compliance, and debates over privacy and freedom of expression continue to complicate regulatory efforts. Meanwhile, technology evolves rapidly.

In early 2026, X’s AI chatbot Grok sparked international concern after users exploited it to generate pornographic images, including of children. On January 26, 2026, the European Commission opened a formal investigation into X regarding Grok’s deployment, following a similar announcement by Ofcom in the UK.

The incident highlighted a difficult truth: legislation is almost always reactive, while technological innovation is proactive.

Technology Is a Tool, Not the Cause of Abuse

Yet even as we debate regulation, we must ask a deeper question. Grok did not independently decide to generate abuse. People prompted it to do so. Technology may amplify misogyny, automate it, or scale it, but it does not invent it. Online abuse is an extension of existing patterns of violence and inequality.

The tools have changed, the underlying attitudes have not. Misogyny, patriarchal stereotypes, and systemic inequality continue to shape who is targeted, who is silenced, and whose voices are dismissed.

If we only focus on platform moderation and legal reform, we risk treating the symptoms while ignoring the cause. Sustainable change requires cultural transformation: challenging the norms that trivialize harassment, excuse abuse, or treat hostility toward women as inevitable.

To build a digital world where women and girls can participate without fear, we must confront the cultural roots of misogyny that fuel abuse, online and offline. This NO MORE Week, stand with NO MORE to raise awareness, take action, and demand a future free from all forms of domestic and sexual violence, wherever they occur.

Learn more about how organizations and advocates are responding to gender-based violence throughout Europe on our NO MORE Week Regional Playlist on YouTube.

To seek help or find a support service near you, visit the NO MORE Global Directory.